


Probable Theorem

by ResidentAnchor



Series: Practicality Series [2]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series), Thomas Sanders (Video Blogging RPF) - Fandom
Genre: Action Scenes, He can shoot electricity and kind of mold it?, He uses it for naps, M/M, Mild Cursing, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Patton can duplicate himself, People Being Jerks, Roman dresses up and 'saves the day', Roman is a hero so mentions of Violence, Roommates, Slice of Life AU, Slow Burn, Surprise Thomas is here and he has a power too guys!, THIS IS A SEQUEL! You must read the first one!, Telekinetic Logan, Too afraid to do much else, Vaguely mentioned and described I'll post warnings, Virgil can stop and travel through time, We're officially entering the 'they might date' phase at the beginning here, all the good and bad stuff in the first book, superhero au, superpower au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2019-05-17 08:29:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 82,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14828855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ResidentAnchor/pseuds/ResidentAnchor
Summary: Sequel to Lesson in Practicality!Living together was the best and most difficult thing they've ever done, but after all the things they went through together, there was no way they were splitting up now. A new apartment, a new start... and things can never be simple, can they?Roman, Patton, Logan, and Virgil just want to live their lives with their powers and each other, but having powers just makes things more complicated than they need to be.





	1. A new start

**Author's Note:**

> Well, here we are. The sequel! Sorry, the first chapter is just a bit of refresher and introduction again. There's banter though.
> 
> If you've read Not Quite Practical, you may recognize a certain character half way through. ;D

There was a veil of tension in the air that was almost tangible, but Patton had just tried his best to stare out the window watching all the buildings pass them by. He had been buzzing with excitement just that morning, but his mother always had the uncanny ability to make him feel like he did something wrong sometimes. She hadn't spoken after asking for the address, slamming the car door and muttering an apology under her breath before they drove away. The old pickup she refused to get rid of still held strong as he peered in the rearview mirror, watching the tarp held down in the back shake and billow as they drove along. He glanced over when he heard the sound of the blinker once more, catching the name of the street they were turning on. He perked up, suddenly feeling his heart race with the same excitement he felt that morning.

The truck turned slowly and Patton's eyes raced along the buildings, looking for the one that would label his new home.

"We're almost there, sweetie."

"Yeah." He muttered, hardly paying any attention as he focused on the outside world.

"Are you sure this is such a good idea?" His mother spoke again, finally breaking the silence she held since they entered the truck. "Moving in with someone you only just started dating?"

Patton turned and smiled brightly at his mother. "Come on, mom. We went on two dates, we aren't exactly dating yet. Besides, Logan and I were living together first." His mother's expression didn't change and he laughed a bit to himself. "We will be in separate rooms. Roman and Virgil are both still living with us. It's just like before!"

"What if something goes wrong again? What if there's another fire?" Her grip on the steering wheel tightened. "What about this place? You haven't seen it in person yet!"

"I've been on video chats with the others when Logan went to sign the lease and he is very thorough." Patton glanced back out the window and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Besides, that's not what this is about and you know it."

He didn't have to see his mother know the face she was making. The guilty look filled with shame as she tried convincing herself she was thinking purely of good intentions. "Patton, sweetie. I love you so much and you know I'm only worried because I care about you."

"I'll be fine. I'm not exactly a kid anymore. They know me."

"Do they?" He turned to his mother once more and she seemed guilty, almost as if she hadn't expected to say it out loud. "I mean, do they know? About... the thing?"

Patton sighed and leaned back into the car seat, trying to hide away from this conversation like he had all week. "Whether or not they know doesn't mean they don't know me."

"Should you really be dating that Logan boy then? Isn't it lying to him?"

"I'm not dating Logan yet! He'll know if he needs to know, okay?" Patton huffed a bit and turned away from his mother in a defiant, childish attempt to end the conversation. He heard her chuckle as it grew into a full laugh before turning back to her, trying to hide his own smile. "What's so funny?"

"Not dating yet? Oh honey, you really do care for this boy, don't you?" Patton bit his lip as he broke out into a blush, grateful his mother's attention was on the road. "I hear you on the phone with him practically all night, are you sure you're not official yet?"

Patton tried hiding in his baggy sweater he wore for moving day but knew it was no use. "We've been busy. We were gonna talk about it after we got settled again."

"Well, promise me one thing." She reached over and gave her son's leg a pat without taking her eyes off the road. "You sweep him off his feet and bring him home for dinner whenever you're both ready. Dad and I would love to meet him."

"Mom, come on! Just keep driving!"

The truck came to a slow stop and she put the truck in park before turning to her son. "We're here."

Patton perked up and looked out the window before spotting the building he recognized from the photos. He quickly threw the door open and jumped out, racing out of the truck and to the building in front of him. It was definitely smaller than the last place, but that just meant it was cheaper too. There was no roof for them to gather on top of anymore and they lived on the ground floor this time, but it was close to the main road and the bus stop was right there. It was going to be an adjustment to the bigger building closer to the center of the city they had before, but as long as he got to live with his roommates, Patton didn't mind at all.

"It looks cozy." His mother spoke, closing the truck door behind her. "It's more the college residential area, isn't it? Good thing none of you drive, parking would be impossible."

"It is a bit different." He turned and smiled at his mother. "I like that it's a bit different, though!"

A creaking behind him led Patton to turn back to the apartment building. Logan stood in the doorway, looking over with a small smirk on his face. "Oh, he's cute." Patton heard his mother whisper as she leaned in. He chose to ignore her and run towards the building and up the small stairs.

"Well, greetings Patt-oof!" Logan stumbled back a step as Patton launched himself and latched onto Logan in a tight hug. "Well, I have missed you too." He chose to ignore the warmth growing on his face and up his ears.

"Come on, give him a hug back already!" Logan looked up as the woman on the sidewalk cupped her hands over her mouth and yelled over at them. Choosing not to make a bad first impression, Logan wrapped his arms around Patton while the other looked up at him. After getting his hug, Patton pushed away and turned towards his mother, shooting her a glare. "What? I was helping!"

"You're embarrassing, mom! I get it that it's your job but could you at least give us a minute?" His mother waved a hand at them before turning to the truck bed and taking off the cables that held everything down. "Sorry about her."

"It's quite alright. I wasn't exactly against it." Logan smiled down at Patton, before looking back to the truck. "Margaret, right?"

"Hmm?"

"Your mother's name." Logan brushed off his shirt of imaginary dirt. "I want to greet myself properly. Do I look okay?"

Patton smiled at Logan who was busy fussing with his shirt, not satisfied with how it sat no matter how many times he fixed it. "Just go say hi, she doesn't bite."

"Has that been a proven fact?" He muttered under his breath before looking over at Patton. Logan took a moment before walking down the small stairs and toward the truck. The sound of footsteps caused the woman to look over her shoulder at Logan. She turned and crossed her arms, smiling at the nervous man, a smirk on her face as she waited for him to talk. "Hello. My name is Logan." He reached out a hand and cringed at himself with how formal and stiff the greeting was. "A pleasure to meet you, Margaret."

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Excuse me?" He placed her hands on her hips and Logan jumped back in surprise. "What did you just call me?"

Logan quickly retracted his hand and fell into a complete panic. "Well, I apologize. I was-"

"That is Maggie to you, mister!" She took a step forward and stared him down with an intense glare. "And no handshaking, you either give me a hug or you don't bother at all!" She threw her arms out and wrapped Logan in an embrace, pinning his arms to his sides. She bent herself back and picked him up off the ground and Logan let out a yelp in surprise. Once his feet were firmly planted on the ground, she let go and Logan stumbled backward, grabbing and adjusting his glasses and staring up at the woman in shock. "Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am! Sorry, Maggie. I apologize once again. I did not mean to offend." Logan watched the woman in front of him throw herself into a full laugh, her nose scrunched up as she grabbed her sides and let herself fall into it completely. Smiling, he turned to look at Patton, noticing all the behaviors he saw he had seen in her son before. Her laughter lessened and he turned back, watching her blink away the tears and smile at him. "It is a pleasure, Maggie. Thank you for helping Patton move."

"Well, of course, sweetheart! Anything for my little dove!" Maggie smiled and winked at Logan before turning toward the truck. "Come on, let's get those muscles working and get my baby settled, hm?"

Logan looked back over his shoulder at Patton who smiled and shrugged, used to his mother's strange behavior. Racing over to the truck bed, Logan looked over and noticed the few boxes Patton brought, along with that he could only assume was his dresser and bed. "Ah, I see you're fully prepared! I bought a blowup mattress in case anyone couldn't get everything today."

"Of course! It's not much but it should be enough! I had trouble getting it all to fit in one trip. There's a few odds and ends we left behind." She jumped up on the back of the truck and started unbuckling a few things tied down. "Patton sweetie! Go figure out which room is yours and we'll start seeing what needs to be brought in first!"

"Got it, mom!" Patton shouted from the porch before running into the open door.

Logan looked around and made notes of where everything was located on the truck. "Alright, we can probably place some of the boxes in the first bedroom, I have a feeling he's going to want the one with the window view of the back." Logan shuffled and moved closer to the truck. "So we can start moving some boxes out of the way of the bigger items. There is a couch in the living room already we will have to move to the side, though." Logan looked up at the woman who simply stared down at him with a big smile on her face. "Is everything alright?"

Maggie turned and jumped down off of the truck with ease, staring Logan down carefully. "You listen here. After you're all settled and cozy, you're going to take my Pat out on a nice date. You'll wear a nice shirt and tie and you'll ask to be his boyfriend and shower him with all the love in your heart and then some." She leaned in, poking his chest a few times lightly as she grew serious. "And don't you dare for one minute think about changing your mind. You've been chatting with that boy for hours every night, smiling and laughing and talking. All he could talk about was how he couldn't wait to live with you fellas again. You're not going to play around with him and just toss him aside, you hear me?"

Logan blinked up at the woman, amazed at how quickly she went from smiles and laughter to near threatening him. Surprisingly, he felt a bit calm, ignoring the increased heartbeat he felt pounding in his chest. "Of course, as long as Patton shares the same feelings as I do, then I'm sure we will come to that mutual agreement when we get there."

She suddenly started laughing and threw her head back again before looking over at Logan. "You make it sound so formal, oh goodness gracious he was so right about you! You're so precious I just want to hug you!" She threw her arms around Logan and wrapped him in a hug once more, though not as tight of a grip this time. "I'm sorry I worry. Patton is just too kind. He falls too easily and so quickly, I just don't want to see his heart broken again."

She pulled away and Logan smiled up at her. "I'll try my best."

The sound of pounding footsteps took their attention away from one another as Patton appeared, a bit red-faced from all the running and smiling at them both. "Hey, is it okay if I take the second room with the window? I know I might have to fight Roman for it later but it's so nice!"

"No, it's alright." Logan smiled and turned back to the truck. "It was same rules as last time, first come first serve. Also, Roman has already told me which room he wants so it's quite alright. That one is open for you to take."

The movement of Patton's things into the small apartment went fairly smoothly. Patton's mattress and dresser were the most difficult parts but Maggie had a knack for certain things. She hefted them up quickly and shoved with such force, Logan helping figure out which way was best as Patton carried the items in. Logan had tried to help but Maggie's instructions were vague and Patton seemed to understand his mother enough with little effort. Soon his room was partially set up and the boxes lined part of the small living room ready to be sorted.

Patton glanced around as his mother inspected the place, stopping at the room in the way back with a smile. "Hey, Lo!" He walked into the room, looking around and inspecting the set-up. "Do you just have a preference for rooms in the way back of apartments or something?"

"You could say that." Logan walked in, glancing at Patton. "I know it was the largest room this time, I hope that is quite alright."

"It's fine by me!" Patton looked over at the room across the hall. "This seems like the smallest, I guess Virgil is going to be your buddy then, huh?"

Logan cleared his throat, gaining Patton's attention. "Actually, that is the room Roman claimed. Virgil will be taking the front room by you."

"He took the smallest room?" Patton looked around the room before turning back to Logan. "Is that because of the news you told me?"

Logan nodded and turned to walk out of the room. "He said it would only be fair he take the smallest room."

Patton's mother was in the kitchen when they entered and every cabinet door was opened as she sifted through them. She heard their voices and looked over with a smile. "Patton honey! These cupboards are completely empty! We finished up fairly quick, let me take you down to the store and grab you some things!" She started closing each door softly as she spoke. "I can even get you some stuff for baking! I know you like sweets and don't bake often so it's a good start to learn!"

"I can bake!" Patton said in a huff.

His mother chuckled and looked over at her son. "Yes, from a box, but can you bake from scratch?"

Patton sighed and gave into his mother. "No."

"I can." Patton looked over at Logan and perked up. "I'm fairly adequate at it actually. I'd be happy to teach you."

Patton's eyes lit up as he gasped with excitement. "You will?! Oh my gosh, we will have so much fun!" Logan didn't comment but as ideas raced through his head, he glanced over and saw Patton's mother give him a nod of approval. "We should get a bunch of baking stuff and bake all night!"

"Not necessary. If you would not mind, Maggie, leave the baking needs to me." Logan smirked and looked a bit too cocky for the mother's liking, but let it go. "Also we do not currently have the adequate tools right now so perhaps baking is not the best option for today."

Patton didn't get a chance before a chiming rang out. Logan pulled out his phone, Patton smiling at how it was a default ringtone Logan probably never changed. Logan smirked and tapped the screen, bringing it up to his ear. "Salutations, Logan speaking."

"Pocket Protector!" Logan flinched and pulled the phone away as Patton chuckled, recognizing the voice immediately. Roman had no volume control as he tried yelling over the music that played in the background. "You stayed the night, right? You still there?"

Logan sighed as he pulled the phone closer once more. "I am indeed. I do hope you are not driving and also talking on the phone. It's unsafe, not to mention illegal."

The music turned down suddenly as Roman laughed. "I'm fine. Technically not driving. Oh, is that it? Yes! Turn right here. No, right. Your other right!" Roman let out a loud groan and huffed into the speaker. "I'm almost there, you better be outside waiting for me! I need out of this car, pronto!"

"Yeah? Next time you can walk!" Logan and Patton looked at one another, not recognizing the female voice that came from the phone. There was some bickering before the call suddenly ended, Logan pulling away and looking at it in confusion.

"Well!" Patton's mother perked up, clapping her hands. "I guess I get to meet Roman too! Oh, this is so exciting!"

Logan smiled and put his phone away, heading for the front door. "I'm rather amused that without stating his name, Roman is recognizable to strangers, perhaps based on his volume level?" Logan turned and looked at Maggie who laughed and nodded. "Wonderful. Can't say I missed that after all these months."

Patton followed eagerly as they all exited the apartment. "Oh come on! You missed Roman, admit it!"

"I never stated I did not miss him." Logan crossed his arms as he stood on the porch. "I simply stated I did not miss his volume."

Patton looked down the road and saw a red car driving slowly down the street. He jumped down the stairs and onto the sidewalk, watching it carefully. It suddenly pulled over and parked behind his mother's pick-up before the door flew open and a man dressed in a Disney shirt stood up, waving an arm and smiling. "Patton!"

"Roman!" The driver yelled, the car shifting as it was put into park. "The car was still moving, idiot!"

Roman looked down into the car unamused. "It had come to a full stop with your foot on the break. Seriously, if you plan on driving you have to get used to these things."

"Like my idiot brother almost jumping out of my car?" It shut off and the driver's side opened up and a younger woman stood up, glaring over at Roman. "Why are you so annoying?"

"Well, duh, because I'm the older sibling!" She huffed and closed the car door, walking over to the sidewalk.

Patton jumped at Roman and gave him a hug, Roman laughing at his antics and pulling him into his arms! "Roman! I missed you so much!" He let go and turned to the woman, smiling. Not one to waste an opportunity to greet himself, smiling and extending a hand. "Hi, I'm Patton!"

She smiled and reached over, shaking his hand. "Julie, Ro's sister." She let go and tugged the hair tie wrapped around her wrist off, pulling her hair back quickly. "He's your headache now. I don't to refunds or returns."

Roman huffed and walked over to the porch. "She gets her license and she thinks she's too cool for her big bro." He smiled and looked up at Logan. "Well, Logan! A pleasure for you, I'm sure. You don't need to miss me any longer, I have arrived!"

Logan rolled his eyes but couldn't help the smile on his face. "Nice to see you too, Roman."

"Ah, and who do we have here?" Roman walked up to Maggie and held out his hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you, my name is Roman." He smiled and toned it down a bit for the woman.

She smiled at him and shook his hand. "Maggie, dear. Always a pleasure to meet my son's roommates! He's spoken so much of you." Roman flicked his eyes over to Logan who subtly shook his head to confirm his thoughts.

"Well, a pleasant and enchanting woman such as yourself must mean Patton is your son! You shine just as bright as he does!"

Maggie smiled and placed her hands on her cheeks. "Oh, such a charmer, you were right Pat!"

"Yep," Julie said, walking up and crossing her arms. "Ro is a grade A suck up." She smiled up at her brother and looked over at Logan. "So, you're Logan and he's Patton. So where's Virgil?"

Roman jumped a bit at the name and looked over at Logan. "Not here, I'm afraid. He said he would be busy and might not be here until tomorrow."

Roman let out a small sigh and Julie scrunched up her nose. "Really? I came all the way out here for nothing?"

"Um, excuse me? You were helping your wonderful brother, who you love so dearly, to his new apartment!" Roman walked up to his sister and pulled her into a hug. "I thought you came here to help me because of how much you loved me!"

Julie dramatically groaned and pushed her brother playfully. "I've had to hear you whine and mope around talking about this guy for weeks, I wanted to meet him! Besides, I can bribe mom and dad if I get a photo of him seeing as you won't tell us anything. Now get your stuff out of my car. If he's not here then I just wanna go."

Roman ignored his sister and turned back toward Logan. "So! Wanna show me which room will be mine, then?"

"Follow me." Logan walked into the apartment as Roman followed. "I haven't seen or heard from the upstairs neighbors quite yet but everything else seems to be satisfactory." Logan walked into the box filled room and waved his hand to the right. "There's the two front rooms and the bathroom. Over here is the back two and the kitchen. It's small but not uncomfortably so."

Logan led him into the last room and motioned for Roman to go ahead. He walked in and spun around, nodding at the site. "Alright, not as small as I thought it would be! Most of my stuff was lost in the last place anyway. Luckily I have my bed coming later tonight!"

"Boo." Virgil watched Logan jump and even let out a small shriek with a smile on his face. “You know,” he spoke, voice gravely and tired from his long day. “that was entirely worth it.”

"Virgil!" Logan grabbed the front of his shirt and took a step back. "I didn't hear you approach."

Virgil shrugged and smirked. "Kinda the point." He shoved his hands into the pullover hoodie he was wearing, a faded 'NASA' logo on the front. "Decided to make an unexpected trip to see how moving day went."

"How'd you even get here?" Roman asked a bit quieter than his usual volume. Virgil raised an eyebrow and Roman paled a bit in shock. "Are you kidding me?! You time traveled? There are other people here!"

Virgil shrugged. "I knew I would be okay, just stay out of my room. It's my way back."

The sound of thundering footsteps grew louder and Virgil turned toward the door to see Patton there as a smile broke out on his face. "Virgil!" He jumped forward and wrapped him in a hug, pinning his arms to the sides. "Oh, I've missed you! I thought you couldn't make it today?"

As Patton pulled back, Virgil made notice of the two others entering the room. He simply shrugged and made no further comment.

"Wait, how long have you been here?" The older woman asked. "I never saw you sneak past us!" She blinked and started to chuckle to herself. "Well! Patton did tell me you liked to sneak around and pop up out of nowhere! I didn't realize how well you did it!"

Patton spun around to look at Virgil. "This is my mom!"

Virgil nodded to her and gave a small wave. "Yo."

The younger one squeezed by and got right in Virgil's way causing Patton to take a step back. "Wait, you're Virgil?"

He brushed his hair out of his eyes a bit and looked at the one staring him down. "Well, dirty blond hair, confident stance, looks like you can handle annoyance in vast amounts... you must be Roman's little sister. Julie, right?" Julie perked up at her name and Virgil smirked to himself. "I've heard you yelling at him before over the phone. I commend you on years of dealing with Sir Headache."

Julie ignored the cry of offense Roman let out as she slowly started to smile. "Oh, I like you. Quick, we have a lot to talk about. Can I get a photo of you for my parents?"

Virgil led her out of the room and away from the others. "On the one condition, you give me all the dirt on princey you have. I bet there's a goldmine of embarrassing stories waiting to be told."

Roman jumped and made his way to the other side of the room. "Hey now! No need to get all chatty right now, huh?"

Julie smiled and turned, giving her brother a hug. "Aww, Ro! I love you and I know you trust me to keep your secrets, right?" Roman froze and looked over at Virgil in a panic. "I won't tell him everything, silly! I have to keep some of it to myself for later." She let go and turned to Virgil, grabbing his arm and pulling him away. "Now, let's start with his elementary school chorus concert!"

"Oh, do go on." Virgil leaned in as Julie started whispering to him before breaking out into laughter. "Oh, that's golden!"

"Virge!" Roman hissed out, face growing red in embarrassment. "What the hell, man?"

Julie smiled and ignored Roman. "I have so many more. You know, you're my favorite of Roman's boyfriends already, I just might tell you the juicy stuff!"

Virgil pulled his arm away and crossed them over his chest. "Sorry to break it to you Julie, but Roman and I aren't dating." Virgil smiled at Roman. "Isn't that right? You started ignoring my calls and kept canceling our dates."

"Well that's, I mean I didn't just cancel! I had reasons! I never ignored a call, I just didn't hear them!" Roman became immediately flustered and shoved his hands in his pockets, looking away from him. "I'm sorry."

Julie sighed and looked at her brother with a disheartened look. She looked up at Virgil and shrugged a bit. "Look, that's a stupid thing to do but you know how he can be." She smiled as she tried to lighten the mood. "He's an idiot, but I know him enough to know why he did what he did."

"Oh, I know." Virgil shoved his hands in his pullover hoodie. "I know exactly what happened, I'm just upset he didn't trust me enough to tell me."

Julie looked surprised at the news. "You know?"

"Eh, I have my ways." He looked at Roman and shut his eyes closed for a moment. "I just came back to mess with him a bit."

He smiled and looked at Julie who blinked and smiled back. "Wait, do you know about... his..." Julie made motions with her hands like fireworks going off. "Or am I just looking like a weirdo right now?" Virgil knew exactly what she meant, however.

Instead of answering, Virgil just nodded and ignored the gasp he got in return. "How about I give you my number so we can swap embarrassing stories later? I can share with you the best one once I dig out the photo! I think I'm done messing with him for now, though. I have somewhere I need to be."

Roman watched Virgil smile and wave to his sister before heading to the front door. He looked over at Roman and winked before quickly ducking into what was his room, knowing he wouldn't be there when he checked. "Oh no." Roman covered his face with his hands. "I'm in for it later."

"I like him." Julie tapped away on her phone before sticking it in her pocket. "He knows how to handle you, which says a lot. Now, I have friends I'm gonna meet up with so let's get your stuff out of my car."

Roman asked for a bit of help from Patton and Logan so his sister would leave him alone. Logan seemed to be getting along rather well with Patton's mother as they laughed and talked a bit. She was a ray of sunshine just like her son, Roman didn't have to doubt their relation at all. Something in the back of his mind was telling him that Patton had spoken about his mother before and there was something important he was forgetting.

They removed the few boxes Roman had fairly quickly and Maggie left for a bit, returning with a few groceries. Roman almost made a comment about bringing out Two and Three to help unpack but stopped himself when Logan shot him a look, eyes flashing quickly. He closed his mouth and apologized, looking over at Patton's mother, that sinking feeling growing once more.

Patton, having brought some furniture and even some kitchenware on behalf of his parents, took a bit longer to unpack and sort. Patton convinced his mother that he would be fine and wished her farewell, waving as the truck drove off. He shut the door and Logan handed them each a key to the apartment as it grew quiet.

Roman looked over at Logan and Patton before smiling, a spark of excitement shooting down his arms. "Finally, alone time! You know what that means, hm?"

"I'm afraid I do not. However, I'm sure you'll inform us anyway." Logan took a careful step away from Roman, out of range for his arms which he had a tendency to talk with a bit too dramatically.

Roman ignored his comment and jumped over to Patton. "Well, how are the others, Pat? Hmm?"

Patton blinked and smiled, looking around and pulling down the shades of the windows in the living room. He glanced around and nodded to himself before a flash of light lit up the room. Suddenly, five separate Pattons all fell in different directions, stumbling onto the floor. They all helped each other up, except one, giggling and smiling at one another.

"Oh, wonderful!" Roman shouted, throwing out his arms and over two of the others. "Two, Three, Four and Five!" He hugged the two closest to him, not sure which was which. "I've missed you!"

"Us?" One called out. "We haven't been able to stretch for, well, forever!"

"Yeah, I love mom but gosh can she be a bit strong."

Roman blinked and pulled away from the two in his arms. "Oh, right! I almost forgot!" Roman frowned and thought back to the wonderfully bubbly and happy woman he met before. "She's really negative about the whole thing, huh? I'm so sorry, Pat."

"It's alright, that's why I have you guys!"

"Well," Roman turned and looked around. "where's Three? How have you been holding up?"

One of them stepped forward and smiled. "I've been fine! Things certainly got a bit dull afterward though!"

"Yes, I suppose fearing for our lives can do that to you." Everyone turned as Virgil closed the front door behind him, locking it as he did so. "You probably should be more careful, Pat."

"Well, I'm rather surprised you're here so early," Logan commented. "You said tomorrow previously."

Virgil shrugged and stifled a yawn. "Eh, just got off of work and decided I could stop by and see the place." Virgil looked around the room as his smile dropped. "Not the warm welcome I was expecting. Something happen?"

"A bit, we just saw you a few hours ago!" Patton perked up and looked around the room. "How about I pull myself together and order us a pizza?"

Patton pulled out his phone and walked out of the room, a string of others following him. Virgil looked confused and looked over at Logan. "A couple hours ago?"

Logan cleared his throat and ignored the flash of light from the other room Patton had created. "It appears you came back to visit us this afternoon."

Shocked by the news, Virgil was speechless for a moment. "Really?" He whispered. "I haven't... I haven't used my powers since that day."

"Since..." Logan adjusted his glasses as they fell forward. "Wait, since the day we were attacked? That was months ago."

Virgil shifted uncomfortably on his feet and looked away. "I don't want anything bad to happen so I just haven't used them."

Roman walked forward and placed his hands comfortably on Virgil's shoulders. "The last time you used them you saved all of us! There's no shame in that."

With a scoff, Virgil nudged Roman's hands off of him. "Now you have something to say? You've been ignoring me for a while, Roman. You've canceled all of our plans and won't even answer me, and now you want to act like nothing happened?"

Roman jumped and pulled back. "No, Virgil, I can explain!" Virgil answered by rolling his eyes and turning to walk away. "No, wait, I can! Really! Just five minutes." Virgil seemed to contemplate the answer before walking to the kitchen. “Come on, you told Julie earlier that you knew already! I just need a moment to explain myself.”

Virgil stopped, halfway out of the living room and turned back. "Did you say, Julie?"

Roman nodded and answered. "Yeah, my little sister."

Virgil dug out his phone and tapped away before stopping. "I got a text this afternoon from someone named Julie. She was here?"

"Oh yeah!" Patton walked into the living room with a smile. "You two got along great!"

"I would certainly say so." Logan piped in. "However, I believe Patton and I should stay out of it."

Patton smiled as Logan walked up and led him out of the room. "It'll be fine! Have fun you two!"

Virgil, despite how exhausted he looked, ran a hand through his hair and huffed, waiting. "Well? You're going to tell me why you've been a jerk?"

Roman took a moment to take in a breath before bracing himself. "I got fired." Roman peeked over at Virgil who didn't react and started to panic. "I mean, things got tough after the whole..." Roman waved his hands around before giving up on coming up with the right words. "Well, you know! So I got really serious about work to save up some cash and we went on that one date and it was great! Then things got crazy, I told you about all that. I talked to the boss about some things and suddenly they were pulling my hours and I was hardly working? I don't know, I suddenly got fired and I've been too ashamed to tell you because no one would hire me and the only reason I moved in was because of my savings and Logan said he would help if I got a new job..." Roman sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I can't afford to take you out anymore and I didn't want to bring you home to my parents so... I was hoping we could wait until now to try again."

Virgil stomped over to Roman and grit his teeth. "You think I would be petty enough to think I wouldn't want you simply because you lost your job?"

"What?" Roman jumped at the tone. "No! Maybe? It wasn't about you, it was about how I can't afford to give you what you deserve!"

Virgil shoved Roman back a few steps. "You're an idiot! I just wanted to know you! How hard is that?" Roman looked upset and he huffed, looking away. Suddenly, Virgil perked up and he dug for his phone pulling it out. "Ohhh, wait. Julie was here today? I bet she has juicy stories about tiny little Roman I'd love to get as blackmail."

"Wait, Virgil!" Roman blinked and he was gone, nowhere to be found. Roman rubbed his eyes and groaned. "I deserve that. Well." He let his arms fall to his side. "This is a lovely start."


	2. Snapshot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman has a rough night as he tries to think of ways for Virgil to forgive him after pretty much ignoring him after their first date weeks ago...

Roman silently cursed his terrible luck as he lay on the couch, the early morning lights from the sun peeking through the curtains. He cursed the early morning birds that had started to sing as he shifted on the uncomfortable couch. It was fine at first, it took a bit to get comfortable and he fell asleep... but various sounds and the lumpy couch slowly made it impossible to stay asleep. His mother had run a little late earlier that night and said she would bring his bed over the next day. Logan had purchased an inflatable bed to sleep on but Roman found the plastic to make him unbelievably covered in static. His abilities had a field day a he became a constant low charge. The tingling of the small sparks made it impossible to sleep so he had moved to the couch almost immediately. It felt like his entire body was fuzzy like static, almost like when your leg falls asleep and you can't shake it back 'awake'.

He rolled onto his back and looked up at the ceiling, hearing the soft footsteps of his upstairs neighbor and began to wonder why they were up so early. He huffed and threw his arm over his eyes, wishing the day would go away and leave him alone before it truly began. Roman had a full day of job hunting and begging Virgil to forgive him and this was not a great start. Although, if he was feeling negative he wasn't really up to searching for a new job on top of moving his stuff in and unpacking as well. As for Virgil...

Virgil had jumped back in time last night to that afternoon when they had seen him and immediately buddied up to his sister. Julie had a lot of dirt on Roman and he had kept her quiet with the promise when he dated, she had full reign. Luckily, Roman kept past boyfriends away from her for a long time. He thought Virgil wouldn't be there at that time and knew it was safe for her to drop him off. He didn't expect his potential date mate to spitefully time travel just to ruffle his feathers, even if Roman deserved it. It explained Virgil's initial confusion when he turned up that night with no memory of being there earlier that day.

He knew Virgil had anxiety issues and brushing him off a bit would come back and bite him but his pride and self-esteem worried about what would happen if he had told the truth. Why would Virgil want to date some jobless schmuck who couldn't even take him out on a nice date? It made no sense at first but Roman had it all planned out. He would move in, woo Virgil, do a few in-house movie nights while he saved up some cash and then take Virgil out on a nice dinner date where they would become official. There was music and mood lighting and rose petals raining from the sky in the scenario in his head but Roman knew it would be nothing like that. Currently, it wouldn't be anything at all if Virgil wouldn't forgive him for basically snubbing him after their first date. 

Roman groaned, not wanting to think about this but unable to sleep. He knew he was on a steady path downward mentally and needed to stop, but was it worth waking up someone in the house as he stomped around to get ready so early? Or what if he got lost in the new neighborhood if he just went out for a walk?

The door next to the couch slowly clicked and Roman lifted his head and looked over. Slowly pushing the door open, Roman saw Patton's face peer through his door and look over at Roman, giving him a soft smile. 

"Hey," Patton whispered, opening the door a bit more. Despite his messy bed head and pajamas, Patton had his glasses on and seemed more awake then anyone should at 4 am. "Not sleeping? Couch not comfy?"

Roman let his head fall back onto his pillow. "It's alright, I just woke up."

Patton walked out of his room and leaned on the armrest by his feet, looking down at Roman. "Ro, I can feel you spiraling from inside my room. I know you've been awake for a while." Instead of answering, Roman threw an arm over his eyes once more and groaned. "Come on, talk to me."

"I really don't want to, Patton." He heard Patton shift around and Roman slid his arm up to look at his roommate. "I'm sorry I woke you up, I'll try and settle down okay?" Patton kneeled down and rested his head on his arms next to Roman. "Patton-"

"Can I at least try and help you relax and get a little bit of sleep?" Roman looked over and saw Patton watching him silently. With a sigh, Roman nodded and closed his eyes. He felt Patton reach up and brush his hair out of his face as he started to relax. "We'll talk when you wake up." Roman let out a soft hum of approval as he felt his limbs grow impossibly heavy. "We're allowed to worry about you." After a few minutes of making absolutely sure Roman was asleep, which was proven by the soft yet growing louder snores, he got up and stifled a yawn as Patton crawled back in his own bed. Dodging all the boxes he had yet to unpack, Patton struggled to get to sleep for a bit before falling back to his own dreamless slumber.

\---

Roman woke with a start, his heart jumping as he grabbed the blanket in his hands and took a moment to catch his breath. Roman didn't remember his dream now that he had woken up, but he had noticed it was brighter as the sun shined through the window not completely blocked by moving boxes. Blinking and looking around, Roman spotted his phone still plugged into the wall on the floor. He grabbed it and groaned as it lit up too bright for his eyes, blinking rapidly as he lowered the brightness as soon as he could. Checking the time, Roman shot up awake, pulling the plug out of the wall in the process and silently cursing himself as he checked to make sure it was okay. The last thing he needed was his phone charger breaking on him when he couldn't replace it. He threw his legs off of the couch and jumped up, fixing his hair as he entered the kitchen. 

Patton turned at the sound of noise and perked up, placing down the utensils he was organizing into drawers. "Roman! How'd you sleep?"

"Patton, it's almost noon!" Roman looked around the kitchen, noticing it was littered with boxes and drawers and cabinets were all opened and partially stocked. "Seriously, you're better than a sleeping pill! I didn't even know you could do that." Patton smiled and shrugged. "You setting up the kitchen, huh?"

"Yeah! I was hoping you'd be up soon, though. We have no food and I'm hungry." Patton closed the drawer he was working on. "How about we go explore and get some lunch?"

"Oh, splendid!" Roman perked up at the offer. "We could explore the neighborhood and take in the sights!"

"Yeah, and I can look for the nearest place with food." Patton pulled out his phone and froze as a quick shot of panic bolted across the room before looking up at Roman. "On me of course! I offered."

"Oh, not necessary!" Roman smiled, ignoring Patton's smile slowly slipping. "I have it handled!"

"Roman," Patton spoke firmly as he stared down his roommate. Roman physically deflated and shrugged. "I'm getting lunch, it's fine."

"Your empath abilities seemed to have improved in our time apart," Roman mumbled but gave Patton a small smile as he turned to go to his room. "I'll go get ready, then."

Patton smiled at his small victory and searched nearby places they could walk to. After a few minutes, the screen changed and a photo of Logan appeared on his screen. It was a photo Patton took while Logan had been talking, a book half in his hand and his arm out as he spoke. He had a tendency to talk and express himself with his hands a bit and Patton loved watching Logan go on about things even if he didn't quite understand. Logan had a tendency to talk about topics and not really explain anything about them.

Patton tapped the green icon and put the phone up to his ear. "Hello Lo!"

"Greetings, Patton. Do you perhaps have a moment to talk?"

Patton smiled and looked over down the hall out of the kitchen. "Yeah, Roman just went to go get ready for the day so I have plenty of time."

He heard Logan chuckle and suddenly clear his throat. "Excellent. Patton, I have a proposition for you. I know you have Sundays off from working at the library, correct?"

"Logan." Patton smiled a bit to himself. "Are you reading something you wrote off of a piece of paper?"

"Wha-no! No, of course not." Logan sounded a bit panicked and Patton covered his mouth from laughing at the sounds of paper coming from the other side. "I was just wondering if you wanted to get together with me next Sunday?"

Patton mock gasped and started bouncing on the tips of his toes. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

"Oh, well, I... yes. Yes, I am." Patton squealed excitedly into the phone before covering his smile with his free hand. "Oh, well... That certainly is a noise."

"Of course I will! Oh, where are we going? Should I dress warmly? Oh, do I need to dress up all fancy?" Patton started pacing to burn off his excited energy as he thought about what he might have to wear.

"Calm down!" Patton knew Logan would never admit it, but he sounded a bit happy and excited as he spoke. "Don't wear anything fancy, you may get a bit messy so just something comfortable will do. I'll take care of the rest. We will have lunch first, though."

"Ohh, so mysterious! I can't wait! Pick me up at, let's say noon? Do you need my address?" The sigh on the other side of the phone was answer enough for him.

"Patton, I think I can manage to walk down the hall. You need not worry about that."

"Mmm, I dunno. It took you a while to get the guts to do it the first time." Patton's tone was entirely playful. "Don't worry, I'm sure you can figure it out! Have fun at work!" He quickly hung up the phone before Logan could answer back and squealed once more, bouncing up and down in the middle of their small kitchen.

Roman came running out of his room, pulling down a shirt and adjusting it. "Woah, calm down!" He ran up and grabbed Patton's hands, both of them jumping up and down. "You're making me all giddy and excited and I don't even know why!" Roman laughed and Patton finally stopped jumping, taking a moment to calm down. "What happened?"

"Logan asked me out!" Roman watched as Patton simply radiated happiness, and he did it quite literally. Although unaware, his empath abilities simply made the entire room light up and shine in excitement that Roman felt it through the walls. "He's taking me out to lunch and then he said the second part was kind of secret because he wouldn't tell me and oh my gosh can you help me pick out an outfit after we eat?!"

"Of course I can!" Roman wrapped his arm around Patton's shoulders and headed for the front door. "When I'm done with you, Logan won't be able to take his eyes off of you!" 

Patton chuckled and shook his head on the way out. "No, I just wanna be myself! If you dress me, I'll be dressed like you! I just want you to help me choose."

Roman threw a hand to his head as he sighed. "Fine, as you wish. I will withhold my creative prowess for you if I must."

The walk went longer than they thought but Patton had taken them to a small burger place just a few blocks over. Patton speculated on what Logan had planned and Roman gave ideas of things to wear. Every moment that felt silent was comfortable, but Roman couldn't stop wondering in the back of his head if he had royally screwed up with Virgil.

They returned home when Roman got a call from his mother who was finally driving over with the small moving truck with his bed and dresser. It was his old ones from his childhood he had left behind, but it was all he had since he could not afford anything else. Roman was just excited to be able to sleep properly that night. When his phone chimed and he saw a moving truck pull up, Roman ran outside eagerly.

"Mother!" Roman spread his arms out wide as he approached the truck before looking confused. "Oh, goodness. Julie? What are you doing back here?" 

Roman's little sister jumped out of the passenger's seat and smiled up at her brother. "I knew how to get here so I helped mom out!"Roman looked down curiously at the manila envelope gripped tight in her hands. "Oh, by the way, do you mind if I drop this off? It's for Virgil."

"Oh, what is it?" Roman reached a handout and Julie dodged carefully, holding it out of harm's way. "Oh, come on! What's the big secret?"

His sister stuck her tongue out and smiled up at her brother. "Go help mom, just trust me on this." She waved the envelope in her hands for him to see. "This is your way to Virgil forgiving you for being a complete idiot."

Roman felt his heart jump at that as he smiled at his sister. "Truly? You are wonderful! Thank you!" He watched his sister wink at him and run inside as he turned back to the truck, hoping the hard labor would distract him from what his sister had planned. "Mother?"

An older woman walked around the truck and smiled up at him. She was under five feet tall and lean but Roman knew the truth. His mother was a powerhouse that was not to be messed with. "Roman, honey! You look exhausted! Not sleep well last night?"

He smiled and shook his head as his arms reached out and wrapped his mother in a hug. "Turns out inflatable beds don't really agree with me."

"Oh!" His mother chuckled as she pulled away. "I do believe I knew that, sorry hunny! Memory isn't quite what it used to be." She pushed open the back of the truck and Roman smiled at his few things strapped down inside. "Now, lets put those muscles of yours to work! Hope you can keep up with me."

"Oh, I'll certainly try." Roman was confident he would be able to. His mother was surprisingly strong and sturdy, but he had been running around at night saving lives for the last few months. While he was lean before, he was much stronger than he was now. Although with his wonderful costume ruined and thrown away since it was ripped and covered in blood, he had a simple pullover hoodie he wore with a crown on the back. Not as fancy but Roman managed to keep up his somewhat princey vibes over the last few difficult months. He hadn't seen or visited his fan club recently but he was sure they had questions about the change.

Helping lift and carry everything was still difficult but it did turn out that his mother had to play catch up with him. She always had labor-intensive jobs growing up. He would never forget when he saw his mother tackle his father and pick him up bridal style the first time, it was quite the sight since his father was over six feet tall.

After carrying the mattress into the house and into his room, his mother practically bombarded Patton with questions as he was back to sorting out the kitchen.

"-and I want you to make sure he's eating properly. He doesn't eat enough greens! Also, you don't have to cook for him all the time, just make sure he isn't just buying frozen pizzas every night."

Patton smiled and nodded as the woman talked, looking over at Roman with a smirk. "It's so nice you care so much about your son! Don't you worry, if it's anything like it was before then you shouldn't worry at all."

"You're so sweet! Oh, I'm upset I'm not meeting any more of your roommates."

"Yes, terribly sorry mom but they're both working. I know how much you wanted to meet Virgil but he won't be back until a bit later." Which Roman was extremely grateful for. 

"Good thing your sister is looking out for me." Roman turned and looked at Julie who smiled and waved at him. "She got his number for me! The boy was lovely enough to send a photo." Roman jumped and looked back at his mother as she held out her phone. True to her word, a selfie of Virgil looking very shy was smiling back at him. "He looks like a total sweetheart."

Roman was disappointed when the screen faded and his mother pulled the phone away. He wondered how much his sister would blackmail him to be able to get that picture sent to him. "Yes, well... So glad Julie seems to have buddied up with him rather quickly." He looked over at his sister once more. "Where did you put that folder by the way?"

"Come on, let's finish unpacking the truck!" Roman glared at his little sister as he mother tugged on his arm and pulled him out of the kitchen and back outside.

Her trip was short and Roman was glad as they drove away, in a rush to return the rental truck before the end of the day. Roman sighed and went back inside, closing the door and leaning back onto it. Setting up his bed took no time at all but unpacking was going to be just as bad as packing it all up in the first place was.

Roman walked into the kitchen as Patton turned and smiled at him. "They left?"

"Yep, just us." Patton wasted no time as suddenly Two and Three popped out, heading for boxes and unpacking the kitchen at a much faster speed. "Go take care of your room, we've got it in here."

Having Patton's abilities was probably perfect for things like moving. No asking for favors or begging for help, you could simply just make as many of you as you needed and pack things yourself. Roman spend a good two hours in his room before the front door opened and closed once more. Footsteps approached his hallway and Roman turned to greet Logan as he approached his room across the hall. What he did not expect was Virgil leaning in his doorway with that blasted envelope in his hands. 

"Heya, princey. I see Julie and Elizabeth stopped by already."

Roman fumbled with the box in his hands and placed it down carefully. "You're on a first name basis with my mother?" He paled as Virgil smiled and looked down at the envelope. "Do I even want to know what that is?"

Virgil hummed to himself as he played with the tab at the top, slowly tugging and opening it as he did so. "Your sister promised me it would be enough to forgive you. I was doubtful but even your mother thought it would work."

Roman sighed and sat on his bed that was still covered with various items. "Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have just ignored you because I was having issues. You didn't deserve the silent treatment."

"Do you even know why I'm upset?" Roman looked up as Virgil glared back. "You asked me out, you want to start something between us... and the first thing you do? You don't talk. Every stupid television show would tell you that communication matters, and you did the opposite." He held up the envelope and bit back his anger. "Your family is sure this will be enough to forgive you, but I'm still not convinced."

Roman shot up from his bed and looked a bit desperate. "I'm sorry, Virgil. My stupid pride got in the way." He ran a hand through his hair and grabbed it, tugging at it. "I thought I was this cool hero that saved the day and could whisk you away. The truth is, I'm not." His hands let go and fell to his sides. "I'm just an unemployed loser who couldn't even see why you would want to go out with me in the first place."

It grew quiet and Roman risked looking up at Virgil. The other looked back with a hint of anger, but mostly confused. "Are you that stupid? It goes two ways, you already got me to agree on the date! You already had me! It goes both ways, moron!" Virgil stormed into the room and smacked Roman in the arm with the envelope. "You don't just get to try to 'woo' me." He raised his hands as he gave air quotes. "What, do you think I can't sweep you off your feet either?"

Roman opened his mouth to speak but found himself at a loss for words. Virgil sighed and shook his head, his bangs falling into his face more. "Virgil, I really am sorry. I didn't think... I thought I still had to win you over and I just thought I wasn't enough."

He heard Virgil snort out a laugh and look up. "You thought you weren't enough for me? Seriously?" Virgil grumbled and whispered so softly, Roman wasn't sure if he was meant to hear. "Of course, you are. You're more than enough." He held up the envelope and his face fell emotionless. "Well, wanna see if your family was right?"

Roman was afraid of answering until he saw Virgil smile and look up at him. "I have a feeling I won't like what they have in store either way."

Virgil looked down and tore the envelope open. He stuck a hand inside and slowly pulled out a piece of glossy paper. He flipped it over and held it up but Roman only saw the white back of it. Suddenly, Virgil held it close to his chest as he bent forward, laughing so hard he reached out and grabbed onto Roman's arm to hold himself up. Confused and unsure what to do, Roman held onto his roommate as the man fell into breathless laughter, struggling and gasping for air. When he finally saw Virgil raise his head, his eyes held tears as they ran down his face and smudged his makeup. His face even looked a bit red underneath as he finally took a big breath of air. "Oh, Roman. I love your family." He wiped his eyes with his hoodie and ignored the fact he smudged his makeup worse. "Okay. I'm good. Wow." He smiled brightly up at Roman. "You're forgiven! However, you have to start over and take me on a whole new first date. If you're successful, I'll take you on one. Sound like a deal?"

"That sounds..." Roman blinked and looked down at the slightly crumpled glossy paper in Virgil's hands. "...too good to be true. What did they give you?"

Roman reached out a hand and Virgil danced backward and out of the doorway. "You had braces as a kid."

"Well, yes. These dashing good looks had some help down the-..." Roman tensed up as he looked over at Virgil. "No. No, tell me they didn't."

"You had braces and electric powers." Virgil became giddy simply saying the words. Suddenly, Roman saw the photo in Virgil's hands as he flipped it around. "You had to use plastic utensils after getting a fork stuck in your braces!" Roman jumped forward and Virgil ran down the hall. As he reached the doorway, he saw Virgil practically dancing on air at how happy he was. "I'm framing this and putting it in my room. No!" Virgil took another step back as he stared Roman down. Roman could barely make out one of the Pattons as he slowly approached the kitchen. "I'm framing this after I make a bunch of back up copies and hiding them, then framing this one in my room!"

Roman ran down the hall and Virgil simply slammed his eyes closed, disappearing from sight. He spun around before he heard Virgil's bedroom door slam shut in the front of the house. He ran over and tugged on the doorknob to find it locked. He knocked on it and was answered with laughter. "Virge, come on! Please! I beg of you, burn it!"

"Never!"

"Virgil!"

"You better make it a good date, princey!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! We met Roman's mother Elizabeth(or Liza for short) and Julie made a short comeback. Gonna focus on the main four the next chapter before things pick up. Take your fluff while you caaaaaan~
> 
> Also! I commissioned that photo of Roman at the end!! Here it is! https://ierindoodles.tumblr.com/post/174870986849/i-got-commissioned-by-the-awesome


	3. Cotton Candy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sunday has arrived as Patton and Logan prepare for this secret date Logan has planned. As for the other two, they get the place to themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Mild talk and descriptions about anxiety and panic in the beginning
> 
> Also! I commissioned the embarrassing Roman photo and it's posted on my Tumblr!! I highly recommend checking it out.
> 
> Here's the link! https://ierindoodles.tumblr.com/post/174870986849/i-got-commissioned-by-the-awesome

Warning: Mild talk about anxiety and panic in the beginning

Roman was trying to hide the fact that inside, he was kind of freaking out. He had one last chance to come up with a date idea to try and win Virgil back and if it didn't go well then everything was going to be completely ruined! He was not exaggerating at all! Living with his crush that denied him after giving him a second chance? He would just move back home and hide under his covers and bolt his door shut for eternity and that was not him being dramatic at all! Honestly, it was his back up plan at this point. 

Virgil sat on the couch with his headphones on, ignoring the fact that Roman was pacing around the apartment. His room was still full of boxes but he seemed to need to move around and burn off the energy. Virgil could feel his hair stand on end as Roman walked by caused by the man's static charge. He tried focusing on the audiobook Logan had got for him to try to ease his anxieties but Roman certainly wasn't helping. Virgil was tempted to retreat back to his room but being locked up in there to avoid everyone usually just made him feel a bit worse before he got better.

Normally at times like this with his heightened anxiety, Virgil would simply freeze time and wait for it to pass. He had done it all his life. He hated wasting his days away hiding under blankets and in the dark, not enough energy to get out of bed but growing anxious at the idea of wasting all of his time every day. It was a never-ending cycle until one day he froze time and rode it out. It worked out well in the long run. He never wasted any more time since technically he would sit in a space where time didn't exist in a way. However, he wasn't going to do that anymore, he was too afraid to. Not after last time he had done it panicking, it nearly cost them their lives. It actually did cost the lives of a dozen or more random civilians plus their old apartment and anyone not lucky enough to escape. The hell creature Virgil accidentally released still popped up in his nightmares, the growling sound of static filling his ears made his heart pound like it was going to burst.

He dug his nails into his palm subconsciously as Roman walked by once more. He hadn't used his abilities at all when he moved back home with his father. His old man never questioned him past what he was willing to talk about and he knew he simply made him nervous. It wasn't until he came back and saw all the others looking at him with their smiling faces and knowing he was accepted for being him that he suddenly felt like it was okay. He felt safe around them and it was almost like nothing had happened. When he was told he did travel back to that afternoon, Virgil didn't waste the opportunity to jump back knowing it was going to work out. Being surrounded by his roommates just made him feel protected and calm. If they could take down that creature from who knows where and all survive, then they could handle pretty much anything.

Except for this. Definitely not this. When Roman entered the room once more, Virgil tore his headphones off of his ears and grit his teeth. "Would you just stop?" Roman froze and looked over at Virgil as if he hadn't realized he was there. "Your pacing is really starting to piss me off."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Am I not allowed to pace in my own home?" Roman spoke curiously but he couldn't hide the annoyance in his words.

Virgil scoffed at Roman and he felt his nails dig in a bit deeper into his hands. "Am I not allowed to relax? You could do that somewhere else, I was here first. Leave."

"What is your problem?" Roman placed his hands on his hips. "Seriously, I didn't even do anything to you!"

Patton's door flew open suddenly as he stood there, staring the two down. He had a button up shirt that was halfway undone and his hair was a complete mess. "I'm trying to get ready for my date with Logan and not stick my nose into your business but is the fighting necessary?" He crossed his arms and looked over at Roman. "There is no need to raise your voices!" He turned to speak to Virgil but froze. "Oh. Oh gosh, I'm so stupid." He moved around the couch and sat down next to Virgil carefully. "Do you need a hug?"

Virgil eyed Patton for a moment before he nodded. Patton pulled him into his arms as Virgil's head rested on Patton's shoulder. "Thanks," Virgil mumbled as he wrapped his arms around himself.

"What?" Roman was bewildered by what was going on. "You're going to yell at me and then just give him a hug?"

"What is going on here?" Logan walked in as he knotted a tie around his neck. He stopped as he saw Patton's arms wrapped around Virgil. "Oh. Well." Logan looked up at Patton who simply nodded his head. "Ahh, I see." Logan took a step closer and stood next to Roman. "How are you feeling, Virgil?"

His answer was a simple shrug as he slowly pulled away from Patton. "Okay." Roman huffed as he held out his hands and turned to Logan. "What is going on here?"

Logan adjusted his tie as he looked over at Virgil who gave a small nod. "Well, it seems Virgil is currently going through heightened levels of anxiety."

"I was so wrapped up in getting ready for our date I didn't even notice until I came out here. It kind of all hit me at once." Patton rubbed Virgil's back comfortingly. "I'm so sorry, kiddo."

"Not your job, Pat," Virgil mumbled as he tugged on his sleeves, hiding his hands as his nails dug in every few seconds.

"Really?" Roman suddenly seemed guilty as he looked down at the man. "He was just sitting there quietly until he yelled at me out of nowhere. I didn't even notice."

Logan hummed and turned to face Virgil. He looked around at the couch before spotting Virgil's discarded phone and nodded. "Ah. I see. Virgil, were you listening to anything before?" He nodded and reached over to hold up his phone. Logan leaned in and smirked at what the screen displayed. "Ahh, the audiobook I got for you to try and distract you. Then, what was it, Roman? He shouted at you?"

Roman rubbed the back of his neck and turned away. "He said my pacing was annoying him."

"Irritability is another typical sign of heightened anxiety." Logan nodded and turned back to the couch. "Now he's rather quiet and reserved, which could be another sign of his anxiety. Media likes to show the signs as loud but often times it leads to one growing silent and hiding away."

"How... did I not notice?" Roman mumbled as he smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. "It all seems so obvious now. I knew you got like this but... Virgil, I'm sorry." Roman kneeled down at the couch and reached his hands out, taking Virgil's in his own. "I shouldn't have shouted back. I promised you I would try and understand and all I did was grow angry." He rubbed Virgil's hands before looked down confused. He turned his palms over and Virgil ducked his head down, looking away. "Virgil, what..."

"Sorry." He tugged his hands away and looked down at them himself. There were four imprints left behind by his nails on both of his palms. "It... helps ground me."

"That does not sound safe." Roman reached out and grabbed his hands once more as he inspected them a bit closer. "I don't care if we're screaming at one another. Please, grab my hands and squeeze them if it helps. I'd much rather prefer that than you harming yourself even in small ways."

Virgil looked up at Roman as the other smiled at him. He scoffed once more and turned away, ignoring the warmth growing on his face. "I mean, I guess." Logan reached over and tapped Patton on the shoulder. The two glanced at each other before quickly retreating from the room and giving the other two roommates space. Virgil waited until he was absolutely sure they were out of the room before he turned to Roman. "I'm going to trust you, okay? Just... don't make a big deal out of it." Roman's smile was wider than he had ever seen as the man gave his hands a comforting squeeze. "I mean... you did save my life and everything once so I guess..."

Roman looked as Virgil tried hiding behind his hair and failing. Virgil suddenly tucked his hands away and shoved them in his pockets. "I guess I did, huh?" Roman got up and turned, sitting on the couch next to him. "Well, let me do what I should have in the first place." He reached down and picked up Virgil's headphones, holding them out for him.

As Virgil slowly reached over and reclaimed his headphones, he looked up at Roman curiously. "Why were you even pacing in the first place?" He replaced them around his neck as Roman looked away a bit shy. "Well?"

"I, uh... was trying to plan that date and got a bit anxious myself I guess." Roman glanced back over and Virgil chuckled, placing his headphones on his ears. Suddenly, Virgil turned a few shades redder and looked away, leaning into Roman as he stared down and fiddled with his phone. Roman softly chuckled and leaned back into the couch, resting his head and shutting his eyes. Roman heard the faint sounds of the audiobook come from Virgil's headphones and smirked. "What was I ever nervous about?"

 

Logan had fixed Patton's hair as he re-buttoned his shirt and ignoring their red faces before deciding if it was time to sneak out the front door. Both their roommates seemed to have... happily resolved one of the first bumps in the road as they carefully walked through the room. Roman looked over and gave them a thumbs up, silently wishing them to have fun on their day out.

Patton stopped and looked over at Roman from the front door. "There's a frozen pizza in the freezer for lunch if you two get hungry." Roman nodded and waved them off before Patton turned around and walked out.

Patton waited until the front door shut and they were off the porch before grabbing Logan's arm and squealing for joy. "Oh, my gosh did you seem them on the couch? They're so cute!"

Logan watched Patton bounce around and talk about how happy he was for their roommates with a smirk on his face. He led Patton down a block to the nearest bus stop not far from the new apartment. They were a bit early in their eagerness but Patton kept talking as Logan was silent as he listened.

When the bus pulled up and they paid and took their seats, it was only then that Patton leaned over and started whispering. "Hey. Where are we going?"

Instead of answering, Logan pulled out his phone and tapped away. He didn't hide the fact that he quickly texted someone 'on the bus, be there shortly' before stashing it away. Patton blinked and wished he had caught the name at the top but Logan texted faster than he thought. Logan looked over knowing Patton had gotten caught but kept silent. Logan's phone vibrated and his screen lit up. An emoji of a thumbs up was all that was shown before he smiled and pocketed it once more. "I hope you don't mind I already have your lunch picked out and made for us when we get there."

Patton smiled and shook his head, instead choosing to watch the city pass them by. Logan eventually tugged on the rope for them to get off at the next stop and Patton perked up, looking around as the bus eventually slowed and pulled over.

Patton got up and exited the bus with Logan close behind. He turned and saw the other smile before walking down the street. "Oh, so now are you going to tell me?"

"Not yet." Patton frowned and looked down the street. "It's a short walk from here, I hope you don't mind."

"No, that's fine! It's such a nice day today." Patton perked up and walked up to a building they were passing. "Look, it's a little video store! That's so cool. Oh, and that one sells homemade soaps!" Patton perked up and watched every random business that popped up and made a comment about it as Logan simply kept silent. "There are so many cute businesses around here I never knew about." Patton smiled and ran up to the next one. "Oh, it's a bakery! Oh, they're closed. Aww." Patton smiled and turned back. "Maybe next time we can come when they're open and get some cookies!" 

Logan laughed to himself as he reached into his pocket and took out his keys. Patton stopped and tilted his head as he tried figuring out what Logan was up to. Logan had a lot more keys than Patton did and they were all attached to a single keychain at the end. Patton had no idea where 221B Baker Street was or why Logan had a keychain that said it, but he wasn't going to question it. Patton had more keychains than keys! All with cats or cat puns on them.

Logan held out a small golden key and turned to the bakery they were walking by. "Logan?" Patton asked but received no answer. He watched Logan walk up to the door and unlock it successfully before walking up behind him. "Wait, we're going here? How did you get us into a bakery?"

Logan opened the door and turned before stepping inside. "You said you wished to know how to bake, did you not?"

Patton blinked before he lit up, his hands covering the excited gasp that escaped him. "Oh, my goodness in an actual bakery? How did you manage that?!"

Logan smiled and walked inside, holding the door open for Patton. Once they were both inside safely, he turned and locked the door safely behind them. Patton blinked as he gazed into the building, enjoying the smell of the bakery as he walked around. It held such character and love like it had been here for a while and he suddenly wished it were open to experience it actually alive and with people.

"I happen to know the owners. After explaining my intent, they were happy to lend it to me for the day since they do not operate business hours on Sundays." Logan walked by and stopped at a table. Patton suddenly noticed it held two plates full of food and had a flower vase in the middle of it. "They also set up a quick lunch for us before we began."

"Oh wow! I wanna meet them to thank them! That's so nice!" Patton walked to the table and Logan held out a chair for him. He giggled as he sat down and watched Logan walk to his own chair. "How did you meet them?"

"Oh, well, actually." Logan cleared his throat as he poured the sparkling cider into their glasses. "I worked here when I was younger. In fact, I just recently picked up my employment here once more."

"You work here? In a bakery?!" Patton lit up at the news. "That's so cool! I bet you're amazing at it!"

"I am satisfactory at it, I suppose. Everything is exact measurements up until the decorating parts. It's quite interesting how it all works."

"Wait." Patton looked down at the food with a frown. "I thought you worked at the bookstore? Also, you do that stuff from home too. Three jobs, Logan?"

"Mm, I see your concern. However, I did not terminate my job at the bookstore. I did, however, end my independent contract with the company I worked from home with. So this is my second job, I am part-time at both establishments. This does, however, mean my time at home will be a bit more limited."

"You'll smell like cookies all the time!" Patton's smile fell a bit as he looked across the table. "If you needed the money, I could have gotten you a job at the library!" Patton smiled softly before poking away at his food. "It doesn't hurt to ask for help sometimes."

Logan capped the cider bottle and placed it to the side, grabbing his glass. "While it is appreciated, Patton, it was not necessary." He smiled and held up his glass. "They simply offered me the help and I made the decision on my own. Now, let's eat before it gets cold so we can get to the baking."

Patton smiled and picked up his own glass, clinking it against Logan's. "You're only making me eat so I don't eat all the desserts!"

"You know me so well."

They enjoyed their quick lunch and small talk before Patton grew restless in his chair. He got up and started walking around the room as Logan gathered up their plates and cleaned the mess.

He stopped at a wall that had pictures and doodles posted at the side along with a shelf of trinkets. "Hey, Logan. Are they a fan of Wizard of Oz?"

"Not necessarily. Auntie Em is just what she went by for years so customers started buying her trinkets. Though the nickname and the movie are unrelated." Logan walked over to Patton and smiled at some of the trinkets. "All of those were brought to her by various customers. I don't think she bought a single one."

"Even you call her Auntie Em, hmm?" Patton watched as Logan smirked and turned away. 

"Come, now that we've eaten it's time to wash up and get to work." 

Patton smiled and walked over, joining Logan behind the counter. Logan pushed open the door leading to the back and walked in, turning on the lights.

Patton was surprised that the back room seemed a lot bigger than he had expected. There was a lot of counter space to work on and he could spot a few mixers and ovens to the sides of the room. He watched Logan walk to the back where a sink awaited them. Logan washed his hands as Patton walked over before taking an apron off of a hook and putting it on, knotting it quickly. "I will get things prepared while you wash up."

"Wait!" Logan stopped and stood as Patton pulled out his phone. He held it up and snapped a photo while he started to smile. "There we go!"

"Patton, was taking a photo of me necessary?"

Patton pocked his phone and smiled. "Aww, but your apron has your name on it!" Patton pointed to the cursive 'Logan' that was stitched at the top.

Logan rolled his eyes and walked into the storage room, leaving Patton to himself. He started washing his hands and put on a spare unlabeled apron and looked around as he tied it on. He looked over and saw a couple photos and walked over to get a closer look. Most were photos of an older couple with graying hair smiling in front of and around the bakery. They seemed happy and smiling in every single one. There were a few that had other people Patton didn't recognize, but there were two that held Logan. One had Logan being hugged by the older woman, Auntie Em if Patton had to guess. The other was just Logan focused on what he was doing as the photo was snapped, flour on his apron and arms. Both seemed a bit like older photos as Logan seemed younger in each. Patton smiled before hearing Logan walk back into the room pushing a small cart full of supplies.

"Okay, where do we start?" Patton walked over and looked at the tray full of ingredients. 

"Well, I figured we should start easy and come back another day for anything more complicated if you wanted." Logan kept his cool so Patton chose to pretend he didn't notice the blush on Logan's face as he spoke. "Would the basic chocolate chip cookies be a good start?"

"Oh, yes! I would love that, can we?!"

Patton watched as Logan just shifted into a whole different mindset, showing Patton various things and going over what they were doing and why. Patton watched and listened completely interested until Logan spun around to grab something. Logan pushed his glasses up as he smiled softly and spoke with a light in his eyes as he spread out all the ingredients on the table in order that they would be used. Patton knew he was speaking, he could see Logan speaking and he could hear him talking, but he couldn't retain the words anymore as he just listened to Logan's voice. 

Logan looked up and smiled at Patton. "Any questions so far?" Patton smiled and shook his head. "Alright then. We can get started." Logan turned and heard Patton gasp loudly. Looking over his shoulder, Patton smiled and pointed across the room. Following it, he saw Patton pointing at a large industrial sized mixer. "Ah, yes. That is-"

"The largest mixer I've ever seen!" Patton walked over and looked at it a bit closer. "That could make like, a million cookies!"

Patton walked up and inspected the mixer but kept his hands to his sides. Logan smiled as he watched Patton before clearing his throat. "A bit less than a million, I'm afraid. We only use that one for special orders that require a bit more than we normally can handle." Logan turned back to the table in front of them and gathered the measuring utensils. "Now, back to business. Normally I'd have you follow a recipe but I have this one memorized. It's Auntie Em's special recipe so I'll just measure everything out first."

Logan rolled up his sleeves before diving straight into the measurements. Patton looked over at the photos he saw earlier. "Is Auntie Em the woman in those photos?"

"What?" Logan looked over and followed Patton's gaze. "Oh, yes. That would be her." Logan turned back to the table and kept going at a slightly slower pace. "Everyone calls her that but her real name is Emilia."

"Oh, so she's not your real aunt then?" Logan froze and looked up at Patton before quickly glancing away. "She seems super sweet for letting us come in to bake! I can't wait to meet her."

"Yes." Logan stopped and looked over at Patton. "I guess I have special family privileges to the bakery." Patton spun around and watched as Logan started to work once more. "I am her only nephew after all. That is where the name Auntie Em comes from." Logan stopped moving around when a hand reached out and held his arm firmly. "It's fine, Patton."

Patton tugged and turned Logan towards him. "You don't owe me any kind of explanation, Logan. I know talking about these things is hard for you."

Logan leaned down onto the table to hold himself up. "I want to. Just a little bit." He turned to Patton and smiled. "You will meet them eventually."

Patton nodded and whispered softly. "Okay." 

Logan stood up and pushed off of the table. He stared down at Patton and smirked to himself before turning away. Patton felt his heart skip a beat and his face redden as he felt a wave of admiration rolled off of Logan. "Well, I've gotten everything sorted. How about we talk about turning this into actual cookies, hmm?" Logan moved around the room and across the table. "I won't preheat the oven just yet, cookie dough needs to chill a bit before being baked so we will get them prepared first. It's actually quite interesting, you see the heat from our bodies as we... Patton? Are you paying attention?" Patton jumped and nodded his head as he smiled. Logan paused for a moment before looking back at the table. "Well, letting that slide, for now, the first step is to get things in order. Can you grab that bowl of sugar I measured out?"

"Absolutely!"  
\---

Virgil fiddled with his phone in his hands as he debated with himself mentally. He wanted to turn off his audiobook and talk to Roman but about what? Would that be weird to suddenly start talking about something random? He wasn't even listening to the noise anymore and was missing out on his book. Would it be weird to suddenly rewind it?

Virgil felt a tap on his shoulder and Roman looked over at him. He paused the audiobook and took off his headphones. "Yeah?"

Roman rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "You seemed upset by something and I just wanted to make sure you were okay?"

"Uh, yeah." Virgil looked down at his phone and checked the time. "Hey, maybe we should get something to eat?" 

"You're hungry? Patton told us we could eat that pizza before they ducked out." Roman slowly pulled himself away from Virgil and off the couch, headed to the kitchen. "I'll go get it ready for us!" Roman suddenly went from being quiet and gentle back to his normal loud self as he walked away.

"Sounds good. He'd be more upset if we didn't eat it somehow, knowing him." Virgil tucked his phone away and pushed himself off of the couch. "You have any idea where they went for this date?"

Roman was standing next to the counter and looking down at the box. "No idea, Logan wouldn't let anything slip." He looked over at Virgil before looking back down at the oven to preheat it. "You feeling better?" Roman's tone dropped an octave as he spoke.

"Yeah, sort of." Virgil shuffled his feet before eying the fridge. "Just a bad mood, it's mostly passed by now, thanks. I'm always anxious, though." He took a glance at Roman who seemed to smile but not look away from the box. "How about I set up something for us to watch movies? The living room is pretty much unpacked anyway."

Roman smiled and turned to look at Virgil. "Well, that sounds splendid!"

"Good, I have just the movie in mind." Before Roman could react, Virgil had turned to go to his room as Roman leaned against the counter. He heard movement as he got out a tray for the pizza and sorted it all out. 

Roman turned to the other room and shouted as he opened a cupboard. "Did you want a drink?"

"Whatever is fine." Roman rolled his eyes and grabbed two glasses, filling them with whatever was in their bare fridge. He walked into the living room and found Virgil pressing buttons on the remote. He put the glasses down and looked over to the tv to spot the menu screen to their movie. "Lilo and Stitch?"

"Yeah, what of it?" Virgil bit back defensively. "It's Disney so you shouldn't have a problem."

"Well of course not!" Roman sat on the couch and eyed Virgil curiously. "I'm more surprised you picked it."

Virgil turned his head away and grew silent. He pressed play on the remote and dropped it on the couch, sitting a foot away from Roman. "It's..." Virgil kept his eyes on the floor as Roman turned to him, ignoring the opening to the movie as the music played. "It's about a dangerous monster coming to terms with what he is and that it's not really a bad thing. That he can do some good." Virgil glanced up at the screen with a frown on his face. "It's about how being different doesn't mean you're bad. There is someone out there that understands." Virgil rubbed his arms as he held himself close. "It was kinda my favorite movie growing up."

Roman grew silent and watched Virgil instead of the opening scene, which was one of his favorite parts. "I understand." He muttered as he turned away. He heard a beep coming from the kitchen and stood up. "Looks like the oven is preheated, I'll get that pizza cooking." He smiled down at Virgil who kept his gaze on anything but Roman. "Don't bother pausing it, I'll be a moment."

It was only a minute or so later that Roman walked back into the living room. He found Virgil sitting just a bit closer to the center of the couch then before, tugging on his sleeves and biting his lip as he watched the movie. Roman sat down in his spot once more and leaned back as he got comfortable. After a minute, Virgil shuffled over next to him and leaned back, leaving barely any space in between them. Without saying a word, Roman raised his arm and pulled him close, Virgil not fighting it and leaning into Roman as he rested his head on the other. 

After another moment, Virgil shuffled and pulled his feet onto the couch, getting comfortable and leaning into Roman more as they cuddled. They stayed silent for a few minutes as the movie kept playing. "You speak of this to no one," Virgil muttered.

"Of course." Roman rubbed Virgil's arm reassuringly. 

"I'm serious, I have a reputation to protect." Virgil looked up and glared over at Roman. "You mention this at all or take a photo and I'm spreading that wonderful picture of you with a fork attached to your face to everyone you know."

Roman placed a hand on his chest and grasped his shirt as he looked down at Virgil. "You think I would do something so cruel?"

The oven beeped once more, signaling their lunch was ready. Virgil leaned back and pushed Roman as hard as he could off of the couch. Caught by surprise, Roman flailed a bit as he caught himself before he fell over. "Shut up and get that before we burn this place down too."

Roman dusted himself off and turned away. "How uncouth of you." He smiled to himself as he heard Virgil pause the movie this time, waiting for him to return.

\---

Logan reached in and pulled out the two trays of cookies from the oven, placing them on the counter next to the cooling racks. Patton leaned over and smiled as he pointed to the tray of the ones he had made. "Look, it actually looks like a little heart like I hoped it would!" 

"Indeed it does." Logan smiled as he looked down at their work. "We shall let them sit for a few minutes before moving them over to the cooling racks."

"Aww, I can't wait! They smell wonderful!" Patton took a whiff and smiled. "Oh, are you sure I can't eat one now?"

Logan shook his head and playfully smacked Patton's hand as it advanced on the cookies. "You had more than enough cookie dough that didn't make it in. Also, they just emerged from an incredibly hot oven and need a moment before consumption."

Patton frowned and let out a small whine before looking over at Logan's tray. "Yours came out so perfect!"

"Yes, well, I have made more than my fair share over the years." Logan looked down at his tray of perfectly uniform and sized cookies spaced perfectly apart. "I started helping out when I was sixteen unofficially."

Patton caught himself before he asked something he might regret. "That's a lot of cookies you've baked over the years then!"

Logan smiled and turned away to clean up their mess. "A bakery makes more than just cookies, Patton. I've made many things over the years I worked here."

Following along, Patton helped clean up some of the mess as Logan placed things back on the cart to bring back to the storage room. "Then I guess I'm just gonna have to stop by and try some of these things, huh?"

"That is not necessary, Patton."

"Of course it is! I have to support my boy-" Patton froze and looked over at Logan who had stopped moving. "-mate! Boy roommate." Patton tried to laugh the awkward situation away but could tell immediately it wasn't working. He cleared his throat and looked back down at the table they had stored ingredients on. "Sorry."

Logan turned and watched Patton closely. "What was that sentence?" He whispered quietly. Patton looked up at Logan but the man's facial expression was firm and other than a flush of red, he showed no signs of how he was feeling. Patton couldn't even really feel anything coming from him either. "Patton, what did you mean to say?" Patton turned away and shook his head. "I can check if you don't want to say it."

Immediately Patton jumped and turned, watching Logan's eyes light up faintly, silently asking for permission. "No, you don't have to. I, uh." Patton licked his lips as his mouth ran dry. "I was going to say, boyfriend?" He gave an unsure smile. "Because this was a date, right? We've been talking and we've been on a couple of dates already and I sort of just thought that maybe..."

Patton felt at a loss of words when he saw Logan's face grow more and more red. "You want, but, yes!" Logan jumped up and smirked a bit. "Yes, we can be official. Is that the terminology? I'm not quite sure that's the correct word to use. Would there be a better one?" Logan stopped and turned away, running a hand through his hair. "Oh goodness, what was word people use nowadays? Bae? Would that be more suitable?"

Patton reached over and grabbed Logan's face, cupping his cheeks and catching him off guard. "Will you be my bae-friend?"

Logan opened his mouth before immediately biting his tongue and looking unamused. "That was a pun, wasn't it?"

"Maaaaaybe."

"You are quite lucky I find you appealing to be around. I will let that one slide." Patton smiled and slipped his hands away, trailing them down Logan's apron. He stopped and felt the embroidered stitching of Logan's name as he ran a thumb over it. "Patton-"

Patton could feel Logan's heart race even through the apron and looked up at him. "Yes?"

"You..." Logan blinked and seemed a bit dazed. "You have flour on your glasses."

Patton couldn't help the laughter that emerged from him, leaning forward and holding onto Logan as his shoulders shook. "Oh goodness, you sure know how to make a moment memorable!" Patton smiled brightly up at Logan as he raised his head. "I'd love to be your boyfriend." He leaned in a bit and Logan stiffened under his hands. "Only if you let me have a cookie." 

Patton backed off and walked over to the trays still sitting in waiting as he giggled. Logan felt his entire face turn red and took a moment to even out his breathing. "You are impossible." He muttered as he tried to hold down a smile but failed miserably.

\---

Roman had promised to keep quiet but he couldn't help but watch as Virgil broke down a bit at the movie. He had tried to hide it but it started with the Ugly Duckling scene and never quite stopped. Roman was surprised that out of every movie on the planet, Lilo and Stitch was Virgil's ultimate weakness that could make him tear up each time. 

The credits rolled and Virgil didn't waste a moment before wiping away his tears and pretending as if it had never gotten to him in the first place. He slowly pulled away from Roman and sat up, keeping his face hidden. Roman smiled despite the immediate lack of heat he had enjoyed throughout the movie. "You alright there, Virge?"

"I'm fine." Virgil wiped his eyes once more and turned to look at Roman. His eyes were shot and his nose was a little red but otherwise, he had looked alright. "Thanks, Princey. This was a pretty nice date."

Roman's smile dropped into a frown and turned into pure confusion. "I don't understand, this wasn't a date?"

"Oh?" Virgil stood up and reached out toward his glass before finishing it off. He sighed in relief as he placed it back on the table. "A meal and a quiet movie in where we cuddled up on the couch and just enjoyed being together? Sounds like a date to me."

Roman shot up from his seat and looked down at Virgil in a panic. "No, wait, I had something planned! It was going to be a quiet night out just the two of us and-"

"Woah, hey, calm down!" Virgil stood and grabbed his dishes from the table. "What's wrong with what we just did? I know you're more over the top but a quiet night like this is much more my style." Virgil grabbed Roman's plate and walked into the kitchen carrying the dirty dishes. 

Roman trailed in after him and watched as Virgil cleaned up their mess. Roman hated doing the dishes, everyone knew water and electricity don't mix. "So that was... okay then?" He walked over to Virgil but kept his distance. "Was it a good date? Did I do good?"

Virgil frowned and looked away. "I dunno, I'm gonna have to think about it."

"Virgil please, you're killing me here!" Virgil snorted out a soft chuckle and shook his head. "I'm serious!"

He shut off the water and dried his hands, looking up at Roman. Virgil could feel the anxious energy coming off of Roman as the hair on his neck started to stand on end from the electricity Roman was emitting. "Calm down. It was perfect, don't worry your pretty little head over it."

Roman stood there for a moment before the anxious energy immediately dispersed. "Oh, so I'm pretty am I?"

"Well, I do have standards," Virgil muttered. "Though they're pretty low."

Roman was too busy smiling to care about the backhanded compliment. "Aww, you do like me!"

"Psh, yeah, whatever." Virgil turned to walk out of the room but suddenly stopped. He turned and looked at Roman over his shoulder. "I guess then... I owe you a date?"

"Oh, I can't wait to see what you plan for me." Roman walked over and threw an arm around Virgil's shoulders. "I bet you'll take me out at night for some late night vampire cafe or something, hm?"

Virgil ducked his head away to hide the blush that covered his pale complexion. "I uh, kind of already have it all planned out?"

Roman was surprised by the news as he leaned down a bit closer. "Oh? So eager you already have it all figured out, huh? Well, I certainly hope I can fit such a night into my schedule."

Virgil scoffed at the notion. "Time is an illusion created by humans to make life not seem as mundane. I don't follow your rules, I make my own." He smiled up at Roman with a knowing look. "I can time travel, dummy. Doesn't matter when really, we can go right now if we wanted."

Roman looked surprised before nodding his head. "Alright then."

"Alright, what?"

"Let's go right now." Roman smiled and pulled away as he headed to his room. "I'll go get properly prepared!" He spun around and looked at Virgil who stood frozen in place. "How shall I dress?"

Virgil snapped out of it and looked over at the other. "It'll be about twenty-one degrees Celsius so you don't need to bundle up."

Roman raised a brow at the comment but ducked into his room to prepare either way. Virgil placed a hand on his chest and took a deep breath as he silently started to panic once more. "I'll be ready in a few minutes then!" Roman called from his room. Virgil nodded and walked away to give himself some space.

Virgil bit his lower lip as his mind raced, going through all his mental preparation once more to make sure he was ready for this. He felt his nails dig into his palms once more before pulling them away. He silently promised Roman earlier he wouldn't do that anymore. Running into his room, Virgil dug around and pulled out his old doodling notebook as he flipped through it. Hidden within the pages was a folded piece of paper he scribbled on numerous times. He read it over a million times before the knock on his door caused him to jump.

Roman stood, looking concerned as he watched Virgil calm down. "Hey, you alright? We don't have to do this."

Virgil shook his head and stood up from his chair. "No, I'm good." He smirked as he turned and walked over to Roman. "Don't tell me you're backing out? Afraid I'm going to out-romance you?"

Roman couldn't hold back the laughter that emanated from him as he threw his head back. "Oh, good one! Please, out-romance me? Impossible!"

"Alright then." Virgil took a moment to gather himself as he shut his eyes. He stumbled forward and looked down at his desk that held his note before nodding to himself. He turned and faced the wobbly portal that stood where he broke free. He looked through it in the air and saw Roman standing there completely at ease, although it looked like the image of a funhouse mirror. "You completely trust me. Huh." Virgil smiled a bit and shook his head. It was comforting to know that even when he didn't quite trust himself that he had the others watching out for him.

A feeling of panic started to rise within him as he leaned forward and peered through his portal. Pulling his head back, he smiled and looked over at Roman once more. He wore a long sleeve shirt and a light jacket with a red scarf around his neck. Virgil walked over and took the scarf off before tying it around Roman's eyes, blindfolding him temporarily. He reached down and tugged, catching Roman as he stumbled forward and stopping him from reaching up and pulling off the scarf. "What's this?"

"Well, what's a surprise if you can see it?" Virgil looked back as he pulled Roman closer to the portal. "I don't want to be there too long but I have a feeling we won't need to be."

"Confident are you?" Roman smiled as Virgil took a step back through the portal. "What are you planning?"

"Just take a few steps forward, the portal is right here." With that, Virgil stepped through, taking Roman's hand with him. Roman took a few steps carefully forward until a burst of chilly air hit him. Virgil gripped his hand tighter as Roman was led a few more steps blind. Suddenly he stopped and Virgil's hands were on Roman's back, positioning him a certain way. "Give me a sec." He muttered mostly to himself.

Roman listened to the ambient noise around him and frowned. It seemed like it was a busy area with lots of people but he couldn't quite make out what anyone was saying. It was almost as if they were speaking a different-

"And now!" Roman felt his scarf get tugged down back around his neck as he blinked and took in the nighttime air. Roman gasped and froze, the breathtaking scene in front of him shocking him to his core. "Well?"

Roman's jaw dropped as he took in the lights of the city in front of him. He looked over into the distance at the tall triangular tower lit up in front of him. Roman took in a slow breath and blinked before shaking his head at the scene. "It's the Eiffel Tower." He muttered softly before looking down at Virgil. "You took me to Paris?" His words felt heavy despite how soft he whispered them out.

Virgil shuffled anxiously on his feet and shrugged. "I dunno it just seemed like the type of place you would want to take someone," Virgil smirked over at the skyline view they had. "All romantical and whatever." He slowly pulled a hand out from behind his back, a gesture Roman hadn't taken notice of before and held out a single red rose. Roman reached forward and took it in a bit of a daze.

"Yeah," Roman muttered as he pulled the rose a bit closer. His heart racing as he stared at the twinkling lights. "I'd definitely would want to take someone here."

"Well, of course." Virgil looked down at his feet as Roman had to force his eyes off of the tower in the distance. "It's the type of place you would take someone to, I dunno, make some official statement or something."

Roman's eyes lit up as he smiled brightly. "Are you going to? Make some sort of official statement or something?"

Virgil turned away and shook his head. "No way, not my thing." He glanced over at Roman. "However, if you have something you wanna officially announce, I mean..." Virgil waved a hand over at the view. "It is Paris. It's the perfect setting for you, Princey. Overly romantic, you have a rose, everything is just right. Would... you happen to have something you wanted to ask?" Virgil kept his eyes anywhere except Roman as he spoke.

Roman's face finally lit up with the realization of what Virgil was trying to do. "You took me here... so I could...?" Virgil bit his lip and nodded, reaching his hand out and grabbing Roman's tightly. Roman smiled and his face became completely red as he turned and grabbed Virgil's other hand while being careful of the rose. He looked down at the hunched over man hiding behind his bangs as he leaned in a bit closer. "Well, when in Paris, am I right?"

Virgil looked up and Roman could finally see just how red Virgil was. His eyes were still a bit red and puffy from the tears from the movie but his eyes shined with the lights from the city as he looked up skittishly as if he wasn't sure what was about to happen. 

Roman closed his eyes as he tried to remember this moment as best he could. "I admit defeat. You have officially outdone me in the romance department, not an easy feat." He opened his eyes slowly as Virgil gripped onto his hands. "Virgil, would you like to officially be mine?"

Virgil slowly opened his mouth to answer before sticking his tongue out at Roman. "Sorry, I belong to no one." Roman paled and was taken back by shock before Virgil smirked. "However, if the position of the boyfriend is available, I think I wouldn't mind..." Virgil's sudden confidence faded away as he stared off into the city. 

Roman reached down and picked Virgil up by circling his arms around the other's waist, dropping the rose in the process. He spun Virgil around a few times before placing him back down on the rooftop as laughter erupted from his chest. "Yes! Yes absolutely!" Roman smiled down at the other and pulled him close as he stared out into the city. He didn't care how loud his heart was beating or who could hear it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well everyone... there's the fluff you all waited soooo long for. Hope it was worth it. <3 And I hope I did it justice.


	4. Sweet and Tart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things finally settle between the two couples <3

Patton was almost skipping he way back home, holding Logan’s hand as they crossed the street from the bus stop. Patton held a container of cookies in his hand that they had baked after Logan convinced him to bring some home to share so he wouldn’t eat them all. They walked up to the porch as they spotted a woman walking out of the door on the porch next to theirs as she locked up and turned around. She stopped once she spotted them and smiled as they walked up the stairs onto the porch. 

“Oh well goodness me! Would you be my new downstairs neighbors?” She smiled, her tired eyes crinkling as she did. She was older than them a bit Logan theorized, possibly closer to middle-aged then the boys were. “It’s lovely to finally meet you!”

Patton unhooked his hand from Logan’s and extended it out to her. “Hi there! My name’s Patton!” He shook the older woman’s hand and looked over his shoulder. “This is Logan!” Patton’s smile grew and he giggled to himself. “He’s my boyfriend!”

“Oh gosh, that is so sweet!” Logan blushed at the woman’s words. “Well, it’s nice to meet you two boys! I’m in a rush or I’d love to talk, maybe another time?”

Patton opened the container and pulled out a cookie to the woman. “Here! We just came back from a bakery, would you like one?”

The woman smiled as she accepted the treat. “Thank you, Patton! Sorry, I must be on my way. Have a good evening you two!”

Their new neighbor walked down the stairs before taking long strides down the sidewalk and disappeared from view. Patton smiled and looked over at Logan as he closed the container once more. “She seems really nice!”

Logan kept his eyes focused down the street before answering. “She never gave her name,” he mumbled before looking up at Patton. “I suppose she was in a hurry. Now, let’s get inside, shall we?”

Logan walked forward and held the door open for Patton who thanked him as he raced inside. As the front door opened, the sudden noise caused Virgil to jump away from Roman on the couch, pushing the other as he fell sideways. He scurried to the opposite side of the sofa as Roman had stumbled forward onto his feet to prevent himself from falling to the ground. 

“Oh my gosh ROMAN! I have something to tell you!” Patton raced up to Roman who smiled back at the other.

“Patton! I have something to share as well!” Roman reached out to Patton and placed a hand on his arm. 

“So Logan brought me to this bakery-”

“Virgil and I were watching a movie and-”

“-and we baked these delicious cookies, see?!”

“-yes, we ate that pizza thank you! So, Virgil-” 

“Oh gosh, he’s so good at baking! Anyway, we were talking and-”

“-completely surprised me and I got the chance to ask and-”

**“-NOW HE’S MY BOYFRIEND!”**

The last part of their sentence merged into one as they spoke.

“Wait, you’re dating Logan now?” Roman questioned curiously.

Patton gasped and smiled up at Roman. “You two are dating?! Oh my goodness!”

“No, wait! It just happened!” Roman looked back at Virgil before looking over at Logan as he walked across the room. “How did you manage to get together before Virgil and me?”

“Well, perhaps if it weren’t for your trepidation about asking out Virgil in the first place you two would already be together?” Logan didn’t bother hiding the smug look on his face.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself there, Lo.” Virgil leaned back into the couch and placed his hands behind his head. “It’s not a competition and if it was, you wouldn’t win that bet.” 

“This is a fact, is it?” Logan walked over to Virgil and grew uneasy at how relaxed Virgil was. “So, the fact that it just happened here when we were already on our way home-”

“It didn’t happen here.” Virgil looked over to Roman before turning back to the nerdy roommate. “Paris, France in the late 1980’s. Had to choose a time when CCTV wasn’t as common, you know? Don’t want people wondering why we just appeared out of nowhere.”

“Oh my goodness, you took him to Paris?” Patton squealed in excitement. “That’s so cute and romantic!”

“Wait!” Roman had a moment of realization. “So technically we’ve been together for 30 years in the span of half an hour?”

“Happy anniversary.” Virgil’s tone was heavy with sarcasm. “It’s felt like it took 30 years, hasn’t it?”

“We should celebrate!” Patton held out the box of cookies. “Anyone want one?”

Logan placed his hand on it and pushed it down gently. “Perhaps a proper meal before we eat even more sweets?”

Patton smiled and fluttered his eyes a bit. “Are you saying I’m sweet enough, Lo?” Patton snickered at Logan’s blush before heading toward the kitchen. “Maybe we should finish unpacking so we can actually use the kitchen for once! We’ve been here a week already!”

Roman groaned but followed Patton into the kitchen. “I’m so tired of unpacking, do we have to?”

“We can have our first family dinner in the apartment! I can start cooking when we’re done so the sooner we’re done the sooner we eat!”

“Sounds satisfactory.” Logan inspected the remaining boxes before his eyes flashed and they opened up. “If we divide the work evenly we should be done in no time.”

\---

The days passed were uneasy at first. Everyone was in high spirits but the mood was unsure as they learned how to act around one another and their new relationship status. After Virgil growled out that ‘nothing had really changed’ between all of them, it seemed to fall back to normal. Roman still sang as loud as ever, Virgil made a comfortable pillow and blanket hideaway in his room for when things got too rough, Logan went back to making the chore schedule and reading through a stack of books and Patton and his pals made appearances to straighten up and make jokes.

It was their first chance at a ‘family night’ in the new apartment and Patton had been restless. He had prepared a dinner and even convinced Logan to make a dessert for them afterward to bring home from work from the bakery. Though by ‘convince’, Patton found the number for the bakery and called it up, getting the sweetest sounding woman on the phone.

“Auntie Em’s bakery, how may I help you?”

Patton couldn’t help but smile as he heard the older woman through the phone. “Oh, hi there! My name is Patton, I was calling to see if Logan was there? It’ll just be a minute! I know he doesn’t keep his phone on him when he works.” Patton was met with silence as he waited for any sort of noise to come through the other end. “Hello?”

“Logan, dear!” Patton waited as he heard a shuffling on the other side of the phone. “Could you get me the pastry blender, please? Thank you sugar pie!” 

“Are you taking an order? I can finish the dough for you if you need.” Patton covered his mouth to stop the squeal of happiness that threatened to come out. He was so sweet and hardly ever spoke with such a soft tone! Also, had he just made a pun? If you knead indeed!

“Thank you, this should only take a minute.” The slight shuffling returned before the voice returned. “Well, hope you don’t mind we talk for a bit?”

“Oh my goodness,” Patton whispered into the receiver. “You sound as sweet as frosting!”

There was a muffled laugh coming through the other end. “My Loganberry told me you were sweet but my goodness! What can I do for you, sugar? Anything I can do to help?”

“Well, I was calling to see if I couldn’t convince Logan to bring home something for dessert. We’re having our first family night at the new place and I want it to be special!”

“Oh honey, Auntie has just the thing! I think I have enough time to make a raspberry tart, you haven’t lived until you’ve tried it!” Patton heard the phone clank against a surface as the phone was placed down. “Logan! I need you to run to the corner market and get the freshest raspberries they have! I’m making a tart!” The voice sounded a bit far away before footsteps approached the phone once more. “Honey, I want one thing in exchange for this, okay? You get down here next chance you get and we have a nice chat face to face! Logan won’t show me any photos of you and I wanna see the pretty face that has him so smitten like a kitten!”

“Oh gosh of course! I’d love to! It was so cute when we were there, I’d love to come back!”

“Then it’s a deal! It was nice talking to you, Patton dear!”

Right before Patton could give his own goodbye, he heard a bang through the phone. “Patton?” He heard Logan ask, his voice at a higher pitch. “You’re on the phone with Patton?!”

“Not anymore, I was just saying goodbye!”

“Wait, Auntie no-!” 

The second Patton heard the dial tone and his phone said the call had ended, he couldn’t hold back his laughter. It wasn’t long after that he received a small flurry of messages from Logan that he simply answered with hearts and smiley faces, keeping it to himself for now.

Dinner was quiet, Roman going on about how job hunting went before diverging off onto a multitude of other things. Logan kept glancing over at Patton who simply smiled back before taking another bite of his dinner.

“So, Patton,” Logan called out in a brief moment of silence Roman had left. “About a certain phone call you had made today.”

Patton looked up and smiled brightly at the other. “Yes, Loganberry?” Logan froze in place as Patton took a bite of dinner, ignoring the effect his words had on the other. 

Logan took a moment before placing his utensils down. “Please, if we don’t talk about this it will keep me up all night.”

“Aww, Logan! There’s no need to be worried! I wanted to see if you could maybe bring a few cookies home from work is all!” Patton looked over to the counter where a white box sat. “I wasn’t expecting a whole big tart!”

Logan slid down into his chair a bit, forgoing his good posture for just a moment. “It’s one of my favorite things, she usually uses it to bribe me into something.”

“Well, I can’t wait to dig in and try it out! I’ll have to give her a review when I meet her later this week!” Patton ignored how Logan nearly jumped out of his chair at his words. “She probably has so many stories about how you are… what were her words? Smitten as a kitten?”

Logan buried his face in his hands and audibly groaned, ignoring the snickering coming from the other side of the dinner table. 

A knock on the front door caught everyone’s attention before Patton sprang up and walked out of the kitchen. “Just a second!” Virgil leaned back in his chair, watching as Patton walked into the living room toward the front door. He looked over at the other two and listened as the front door opened. “Oh, I’m so glad you could make it! Find the place okay?”

“Yeah, sorry we’re a little early, is that okay?” At the voice, Roman jumped up from his chair and ran into the living room, stopping and smiling as Patton let in their visitors. “Hey, Roman.”

“Thomas!” Roman looked over his shoulder at their second guest. “You brought Joan with you! Fantastic!”

“Yeah, they wanted to come.” Thomas looked back and smiled at his best friend. “Said that this would be the last good chance to secretly reveal you’re all murderers.”

“Preposterous,” Logan stated as he walked in trailing behind Virgil. “If we were murderers we would have had many perfect opportunities before this one.”

“Yeah, well,” Joan shrugged. “If you’re going to kill Thomas then I want to be right there with him, to die in his arms so the last thing we do is embrace as I tell him ‘I told you so.’”

Virgil snorted out a laugh before shaking his head. “You wouldn’t even bother trying to stop us?”

“Me.” Joan pointed to themself. “Against four superpowered humans? Nah, I’m better off embracing death metaphorically and Thomas physically. Seems much more pleasant.”

“Oh, Joan!” Thomas placed his hands over his heart as he stared his friend down with loving eyes. “That’s so sweet!”

“Yeah, way to make my secret plans of murdering you all mushy, gross.” Virgil huffed with a smirk. “Guess there go my plans.”

“We were just finishing up dinner!” Patton clapped his hands together. “If you’re hungry then please join us!”

 

Thomas shook his head as he looked around the living room. “Nah, we just ate.”

“Shame,” Roman said before clapping his hands together. “More raspberry tart for us then!”

Joan pushed passed Thomas and headed for the kitchen. “Don’t worry! I’ll test it for poison first just to be safe.”

Thomas couldn’t help but smile as they all trailed back into the kitchen. “So, it’s nice! A little smaller than your last place but it’s comfortable.”

“I can’t wait to decorate it properly!” Patton started cleaning up the empty plates to make room for dessert. “I’ve been talking to Roman about a few ideas we had.”

“Oh, Thomas.” Logan turned toward the guests. “How has your memory been lately?”

Thomas shrugged and turned to Joan for a proper answer. “He’s doing better. His short-term memory has improved but there are still random things he will have forgotten.”

“Ahh, I see.” Logan nodded before clearing his throat. “I was hoping we could put some time aside to work on your abilities when you had a chance? I have a few ideas if you don’t mind.”

“Aww, Logan!” Thomas smiled at the man. “You don’t need to be shy! If you want to hang out you just have to ask!”

Patton reached over and wrapped an arm around Logan’s shoulder as he pulled him close. “Yeah, Lo! I think it’s great you want to hang out with Thomas more!”

Logan ducked his head as a blush quickly took over his face. Thomas gasped dramatically and placed a hand on his chest. “Logan, is that a blush I see?”

“Well, that is reasonable.” Logan glanced up and smiled at Patton. “Seeing as my boyfriend is being overly affectionate at this current time.”

“BOYFRIEND?!” Thomas shouted and stared at them with a smile. “Oh, my goodness finally! I was wondering when you two would get together!”

“You didn’t tell him?” Logan asked as he turned to Patton, earning a shake of the head as a response. “Wait, so then does he know about…?” Logan pointed over to his other roommates as he asked silently.

“Do I know about what?” Thomas looked over at Roman and Virgil, watching Virgil turn away and Roman smile with pride. “Oh, are you kidding me right now?! You all finally got together and no one told me? Now we’re the third wheel to your date night!”

“Come on, Thomas, that’s ridiculous.” Joan looked up at him as they spoke. “They were going to be the extras to our date night, now we’re just all having a date night together.”

They gathered into the living room as Patton and Two spread out some blankets and pillows on the floor. They all ate their dessert and gave compliments to Logan to give to his aunt as half the tart vanished in minutes.

Roman proclaimed that their first family night movie must be Disney before Virgil shot him down. They had watched a Disney movie a few days ago so the first movie had already been Disney.

“Well, that shouldn’t count! It wasn’t family night!” Roman huffed as he stared down at their stack of movies. 

“We can watch Disney next time, Princey.” Virgil sifted through the mess looking for something, not Disney. Roman’s collection went up in flames at the last apartment so there actually weren’t too many to choose from. “There are other movies that exist.”

“How about a bet?” Virgil stopped and looked up at Roman with interest. “One line, whoever blushes harder loses.”

“Alright, just let me pick my winning movie first then.” Roman gasped in offense to Virgil’s statement before they both stood up, staring each other down. 

Roman reached out for Virgil’s hand and placed it over his head. “Virgil, I would die for you.”

Virgil smiled as a light blush formed on his cheeks. “Roman… I would live for you.”  
Roman blinked as the words set in and he pulled back, his cheeks becoming much more flushed than the others. “That’s not fair, you can’t just say things like that!”

“A bet is a bet, so we’re not watching Disney.”

Patton held up a case and looked down at it. “How about the Avengers?”

“First off, owned by Disney so it counts.” Virgil scrunched up his nose. “Second off, a superhero film? Us? Really?”

Patton looked down at the case and shrugged. “Nice to see people you can relate to, right?”

“That’s preposterous.” Logan reached out for the DVD case and Patton handed it over. “First off, these characters are fictional.”

“So is Sherlock and Doctor Who, what’s your point?” Roman asked. 

“Do we really want to watch a movie about people with superpowers when we are people with superpowers?” Logan questioned as he held up the case.

“Hey, I don’t have powers,” Joan called out from their spot they formed on the bed of blankets.

“No, you don’t.” Thomas turned to Joan with a completely serious look in his eyes. “You’re Joan and you’re pretty super. That’s enough for me.”

“Awww,” Joan called out before turning to the others. “How about we watch it and mock how inaccurate they portray how difficult it is to use powers?”

“Oh, my gosh, Spiderman did just a good job at what can we watch that next?” Roman reached over and picked up the movie in question. He looked up and saw Virgil staring at him. “What?”

“How did I win the bet and yet we are still watching Disney?”

“Umm, because I’m awesome?” Roman was shoved back and fell to the floor. “Oh, my heart! You wound me!”

“Quiet and go make me popcorn,” Virgil smirked as he set up the tv for their movie night. 

“Popcorn, extra salty just like you?” Roman turned and got up off of the floor. “I’ll be back in but a moment!”

“Oh gosh, why am I dating him?” Virgil muttered to himself, but everyone saw the smile he couldn’t shake off.


	5. Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton wants to take Auntie Em up on her offer to visit but he gets a bit nervous...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are not following me on tumblr (residentanchor) then you are missing out! Someone made an ANIMATIC that's 15 minutes long! It's the first chapter of Lesson in Practicality and it is beautiful! They are looking for voices for the next parts! Head on over to check everything out!!

Virgil paced around his room and checked his pockets to make sure he wasn’t forgetting anything. He reached over and picked up a plain black backpack off of the floor and slung it over his shoulder. With one last check, he turned and opened his bedroom door before freezing.

“Virgil!” Patton stopped and smiled, though it seemed a bit forced. “Oh, are you headed out somewhere?”

Virgil nodded and closed his bedroom door behind him. “I have work. You okay, Pat? Need to talk?”

“Oh, no! Don’t want to hold you up! Can’t be late for work!” Patton still seemed a bit tense as he backed away. “It wasn’t important, don’t worry!”

Virgil took a step forward and reached out, grabbing Patton’s arm lightly as he tried to retreat further. “Pat, what’s bothering you?” Patton never dropped his smile as he shook his head. “You’re my best friend, I have all the time in the world for you, okay?” Patton’s smile finally started to fall as Virgil spoke softly. “I can get to work on time just fine, tell me what’s wrong?”

“It really isn’t a big deal.” Patton shrugged. Virgil let go of his arm and motioned toward the couch. With a nod, they headed over and Patton fell into the cushions as he let out a sigh. “I wanted to go meet up with Logan’s aunt that runs that bakery. She invited me today and I was super excited but I just kind of got nervous. What if she doesn’t like me or what if I upset her? What if it doesn’t go well?”

“Patton.” Virgil held up a hand and cut the other off. “I’m an expert at playing the ‘what if’ game, but I have complete faith that you’ll be fine. Everyone loves you, you’re such a nice person and if she doesn’t then you’ll just have to show her.” Patton bit his lip but nodded, shoulders still tense. “Want me to go with you?”

Patton shot his head up and waved his hands around. “No, no! You have work!”

Virgil raised a brow and smiled over at his best friend. “Look, I don’t have to miss work. I may not be as good as you are at being in multiple places at once but that doesn’t mean I can’t do it at all.” Virgil stood up from the couch and gripped onto one of the straps to his backpack. “Wait a few minutes for me to text you then tell me exactly where you’re standing in the apartment, okay?” Virgil gave a small salute before heading to the front door. “Just trust me on this.”

The door clicked closed and Patton remained confused as he sat on the couch. He dug out his phone from his pocket and began to fidget with it as he stared at the front door. Around maybe ten minutes later, he jumped as his phone went off, pulling him from his thoughts. 

Tapping away to unlock it, a text from Virgil with a single black heart emoji staring back at him. Patton stood up and began pacing before he stopped in the middle of the living room. 

“I… am… standing… in the… living room…” Patton spoke as he typed. He sent the text before looking up from his phone. “He said to describe, is that enough?” Patton typed away once more to describe what he was seeing, sending a single sentence at a time. A hand shot out and covered his phone as Patton let out a squeak of surprise. He glanced up and saw Virgil standing there, hair a bigger mess than minutes before and looking more worn out. “V-virge!”

“That was more than enough, Pat.” Virgil let go of the phone and headed for his room, his backpack stuffed more than when he had left. “Let me drop this off and we can go.”

Patton smiled and sent Virgil a quick apology along with a heart before putting his phone away. “How was work? That’s where you just came from, right? You just traveled back to this time, am I right?”

Virgil put the backpack down onto his bed and walked out. “Yeah, work was fine. It’s been tough since the move.”

“Aww, well we’re all settled in here so hopefully it’ll get better soon!” Virgil smiled and shook his head. “Are you sure you’re up to going? You look tired.”

“You’re not backing out of this. Besides, you owe me one thing from this bakery.” Virgil headed to the front door like Patton had just watched him do and smiled. 

“How did I get such a great best friend?”

Virgil snorted out a short laugh before turning and holding the door open. “Just lucky, I guess.”

Virgil followed and listened as Patton rambled on nervously about a million different topics, jumping from one to another with no warning. They boarded the city bus easily as Patton double and triple checked the right path that he had taken with Logan before.

It wasn’t until after they gotten off the bus that Virgil stopped walking and was standing on the sidewalk that Patton froze. 

“Is something wrong, Virge?”

Virgil smirked and jabbed a thumb to the building next to him that Patton had walked by. “Isn’t this the place?”

Patton looked back to the large glass windows that showed the inside of the bakery that was bustling with life. “Oh. Yeah, it is! Sorry!”

Virgil smirked over at Patton before heading toward the door and holding it open for the two of them. A wind rushed passed as the door opened and they were hit with a sweet smell of sugar and pastries. Patton walked through as Virgil glanced around and took in everything for the first time. Patton stuck by Virgil as they slowly made their way up to the counter where an older man with balding gray hair stood, talking with a customer. Virgil nudged Patton forward and kept a hand on his back as they made their way to the counter. Patton straightened out his shirt and fussed with his hair before Virgil grabbed a hold of his wrist. “Pat, you’re fine. Just relax, I’m right here.”

The customer in front of them moved and Virgil walked up to the counter, keeping his hand on Patton’s back for comfort. 

“Well, hello there!” The man grinned at the two. “A pair of new faces! What can I get you, lads?”

“I, well, was wondering if, um,” Patton looked over at Virgil who simply nodded at him to continue. “Is Auntie Em here?”

The man frowned and sighed before turning toward the back door. “Emilia!” He walked over and opened it up, shouting into the back room. “Emilia, my heart! Why are two young men here to talk to you?” An older woman with short curly hair appeared, wiping her hands on her apron. “You trying to make me jealous again, dear? Is this because I wouldn’t let you buy that new mixer?”

“Oh hush now, Murph. I don’t know what you’re talking about, you’re the sweetest thing in this bakery.” She leaned forward and gave a quick peck to the man before turning and walking over to the counter. “Now, are you two young boys looking for me?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Virgil spoke up. “Patton here wanted to come and meet you.”

“Patton?” The woman gasped and smiled as she leaned over the counter. “Oh, goodness! You’re Patton, hmm?” 

Before either could answer, Auntie Em was making her way around the counter and wrapping both of them in her arms. “Oh what an absolute pleasure! My little Logan has told me all about you!” he pulled back and smiled at them. “So, who would you be, dear?”

Virgil shook off the sudden surprise contact and smiled up at the woman. “I’m Virgil. I’m their roommate.”

“He’s my best friend!” Patton chimed in and hooked their arms together. “I told him I’d buy him something if he came with!”

“Oh dear, you aren’t buying a single thing! Pick something out, on me. Let me finish up in the back and we can sit and talk.” She turned back to the counter and smiled at the man. “Murphey, these are Logan’s friends! Let them pick anything out while I straighten up in the back, okay love?”

“Of course, dear.” The older man, Murphey, smiled at the two boys. “I’ve been saying ‘yes, dear’ for thirty years, you know why?”

“Because you love her?” Patton suggested while Virgil rolled his eyes.

“I was told to smile and agree with everything Em said, but that woman has a fire in her that needs taming. Good thing I was a fireman back in my day.” The man chuckled as he made his way back to the counter. “You heard the woman, pick anything out.”

Patton leaned down to look inside the glass cases. “If it’s anything like that tart, it’ll be delicious!”

“Logan’s weakness, we were always able to get that boy to work with Em’s special raspberry tart.” Murphey chuckled to himself. “My nephew’s quite the hard worker once he started taking things seriously.”

“Ohh, that chocolate cake looks so good!” Patton pointed to the case. “It’s calling to me, I can hear it!” Patton looked up at Virgil who kept his distance as he looked. “What about you? See anything you like?”

Virgil glanced away and shifted the weight on his feet. “I mean, I don’t want to impose, I’m willing to pay.”

“Nonsense, boy!” Murphey leaned over the counter and looked over at Virgil. “We offer because we want to and we can! A single slice of cake isn’t going to break the bank and ruin us. Take the offer, I insist.”

Virgil smirked a bit and shrugged. “The cheesecake looks good.”

“Just tell me which one and I’ll get you both set.”

Patton and Virgil were sent to a table to the side away from a lot of the customers with their desserts while they waited for Logan’s aunt to come out and pay a visit. When the back doors opened, they hadn’t expected her to walk out with a big binder in her hands as she made her way over to their table. 

“I hope you boys didn’t wait too long for me!” She placed the binder down and took a seat herself. “I just had to go grab this real quick! Loganberry would never let me show you if he were here!”

Virgil and Patton leaned in closer as she opened it up revealing a plethora of old photos. She flipped through and jumped to about halfway and stopped, showing photos of strangers as she picked the page she wanted. “Are you sure it’s okay to be showing us this? I don’t want Logan to be mad.” Patton leaned back, poking at the crumbs on his plate with a fork.

Auntie Em chuckled and finally stopped on a page. “He’d just be embarrassed, I think he’d appreciate me doing this while he wasn’t here.” She flipped the book around for them to see. “Look! His first day working here at the bakery! He looked so upset once he realized it wasn’t a… a piece of cake!”

Virgil laughed and covered his mouth, surprised at the sudden joke while Patton giggled and glanced down at the book. “Which one is…” Furrowing his brow, Patton pointed to a photo. “Wait, that’s Logan?!”

“Holy shi--spit!” Virgil caught himself before letting it slip, looking at Em quickly before looking back at the photo. 

“But, Logan’s all… Prim and proper!” Patton glanced at each photo, showing an angry teenage Logan covered in flour in most, glaring down at whatever he was working on. “Not… this!”

“He had an emo punk phase!” Virgil leaned back and started to laugh. “He even wore eyeliner!”

The photos showed Logan alright, but his hair was longer and shaved underneath. The shirt you could see peeking out was a ripped and torn band tee that you couldn’t make out as it contrasted with the happy blue apron tied over it. He did have eyeliner on underneath his eyes smudged out, but not quite to the point Virgil preferred. He screamed ‘scene emo punk’ as he glared down at a bowl he had been working on. 

Auntie Em flipped the pages, showing the irritated look on Logan’s face slowly disappear and a smile replace it with each photo. Eventually, the shirt was replaced and he started wearing a tie in some of the photos. Each was either him working or with his aunt and uncle. 

“That boy was a complete mess when he came to live with us but I’m so proud of him now, looking at how far he has come.” Em smiled and closed the book as she looked up at the two. “He’s much happier now that he’s found you all. I was rather skeptical when he said he found someone just like him in that cafe but I suppose it worked for the best.”

“Oh, right!” Patton turned and looked at Virgil. “He said he was at a cafe when he found one of us on accident.”

“He never could completely kick his habit of imposing in on people.” She tapped her head with her finger lightly, indicating what she truly meant. “He swore to me once the apartment was set he would never do it again.”

Virgil leaned forward a bit as he whispered. “He found you in that cafe, right Patton?”

Patton looked on clueless before gasping in shock. “Oh gosh, you’re right! I think I know that place, I went there all the time for lunch before I moved!”

Auntie Em chuckled as she watched the two boys prattle on in excitement. “Well, I would love to hear how my Lo-Lo has been doing since he moved out.”

“Lo-Lo,” Patton whispered to himself before giggling. “Oh gosh, that is so cute!”

“He’s your Lo-Lo now, sugar. I just want to hear what you have been up to this past year!” Virgil and Patton shared a quick worried glance before the woman sighed. “Fine, I’ll let you skip out on the good stuff this time, but please tell me this.” She turned to Virgil and smiled. “You get together with that Roman boy yet? Logan stopped talking about you two and how you needed to just get together already after he and Patton here finally came to their senses!”

Virgil groaned as he pulled up the hood of his sweater, pulling it down over his face and sinking into his chair. “Logan you backstabber!” He muttered as he stopped sliding down. “I’ll get you back for this…”

 

\---

Patton was practically dancing in the streets as they made their way back to the apartment. Virgil could only smile as Patton twirled around and sang. “Oh, Virgil, that went so well! And to think I was worried!”

Virgil huffed out a quick laugh before responding. “I told you it would be fine! You were worrying over nothing.”

“Nuh uh!” Patton stopped and smiled at Virgil. “...okay so maybe I was! It worked out okay! Oh gosh, I should call my mom and tell her!” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. “Maybe Logan and I can go over there and he can meet my parents!” Patton froze and looked down at his phone, his smile finally falling. “Hey, Virge.” Patton waited a moment before making sure Virgil was listening. “Do you think I’m rushing this a bit? We only just started dating.”

“I can’t answer that for you.” Virgil continued past Patton down the street. “Not my relationship, you’re gonna have to talk to Logan about how he feels.” He looked over at Patton as the other raced to catch up with him. “Honestly, he’s been pining after you for months so I think he’ll be fine for right now as long as you two find a pace to go at.”

“Yeah, but he wasn’t bad as you and Roman were, ignoring each other's feelings completely.” Patton shoved Virgil playfully with his shoulder. “I just didn’t think Logan would be the one to like me! Honestly, if I was going to end up liking anyone in the apartment, he was my last guess!”

Virgil raised an eyebrow at that. “Oh? So what, you already had an idea of who your roommate love interest was going to be?”

“I thought it would be Roman honestly.” Virgil stuttered confused as he gaped at Patton. “Yeah, I know! We just clicked when we moved in but the feelings were never there. Then he got a crush on you and that went out the window.”

“You are still a mystery to me, Pat. I don’t think I’ll ever figure you out.” Patton smiled and shrugged as they made their way into their apartment. “Well, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll travel back to when I left to even out the timestream more and go to bed. Work is gonna be killer in the morning.” Virgil yawned and walked into his room. “I should have never taken that promotion.”

Patton waved and stopped once his door clicked shut. “Wait, what promotion?” He walked over to the door and knocked. “Virgil?” He waited a moment before opening it, finding it completely empty. With a huff, Patton shut the door and headed for his room.

Once inside, he pulled out his phone once more before quickly dialing it and holding it up to his ear. It rang a few times before someone picked up. 

“Hello?”

“Hey, mom.” Patton bit his lip as he smiled nervously. “It’s just me!”

“Oh, Patton sweetie!” He heard shuffling from the other side as his mother moved around. She could never sit still while on the phone. “How are you? You better have finished unpacking! Don’t make me come over there!”

Patton laughed and relaxed a bit as she spoke. “No, we’re all done! I made sure of that. I just wanted to call and talk to you a bit! It’s been a while.”

“Oh, just making sure you check in on your mom? You’re such a good boy. How’s that boyfriend of yours?”

“We’re fine, mom. He took me on a date and made it official, just like you told him.”

“Well, at least you’re dating a smart boy who knows what’s good for him. He ever treats you wrong you tell me, okay?”

Patton paced back and forth through his room. “That’s fine, mom. I think I can handle one boy, it wouldn’t be the first time.”

“I know you can, but I’m your mother, I’m meant to worry.” The line went quiet for a bit and Patton felt the anxious ball in his chest start to grow. “You know, I was thinking about you two, actually.”

“No.” Patton bit out, a bit more harsh than he was planning. He took a moment to take a deep breath and calm himself. “No, you’re not doing this to me. I know exactly what you’re going to say. You’re going to mention my powers being a problem for the future.”

“I just worry! He doesn’t know and he will have to find out eventually! How do we know he won’t tell? What if it doesn’t work out and they take you away from me?”

“Mom!” Patton stomped his foot as he stopped his pacing. “He won’t tell, he never will no matter what happens. You can’t keep doing this to me! First, you ask me to pretend I don’t have powers then you turn around and accuse me of lying if I keep them secret!”

“I do it because I love you! What if he-”

“He already knows! He’s not going to tell!” The line went silent and Patton sighed deeply, turning and sitting on his bed. “He knows, he has for a while. He won’t tell, I promise.”

“You’ve been doing it again.” He could hear the fire in his mother’s voice as she accused him, making him flinch in response. “You’ve been making those copies again!”

Patton chose not to answer as he sat on his bed, afraid of what he might say if he opened his mouth again. The line remained quiet and he heard his mother sigh on the other end. “Mom, listen to me for once. It’s who I am, okay? I can multiply myself. Just like that hero running around town that can shoot electricity! He’s fine and he’s out in the open! I can handle one or two people knowing, okay?”

When his mother didn’t immediately answer, he knew it was another battle lost with her. Years of trying to convince her he was normal, his normal was just different than everyone else was a waste of time. She might never understand and accept that part of him and he was still willing to try. 

“We will talk about this another day.” He shook his head, knowing his mother would do everything in her power to avoid that conversation for as long as she lived. “Goodbye Patton. Love you.”

“Goodbye.” He ended the call as quickly as he could and tossed the phone onto his bed. He sat there a while before falling back, stretching his arms out to the side as he fell. He stared at his ceiling and thought about how his day went. It was so up and down with good and bad emotions, his heart racing for different reasons, and it left him exhausted. The day wasn’t over yet and he was determined to end it on a high note.

With a sudden rush of determination, Patton pushed himself off of his bed and into the kitchen. He always cooked and cleaned to distract his thoughts from spiraling and that’s exactly what he planned to do until he could talk to Logan. Maybe not that night, but soon, he promised himself. He was determined to make this relationship work.

\---

Margaret loved her son with all her heart. She was open and accepting of him when she realized he liked more than just girls, even if she didn’t quite understand what he was trying to tell her about pansexuality. She didn’t need to know as long as she loved and accepted him.

What she didn’t get was his need to use these abilities he had. If he just kept them hidden and forgot they existed, he could live in peace without worry. He didn’t even seem worried he had them at all! If people knew what he could do, she was so worried about what could happen to him. She wasn’t going to let her son become another missing person. He wasn’t going to just be a number added to some random statistic. She was going to protect him, even if that’s not how he saw it. Sure, if Logan had worked out and kept quiet then she had no issue of him knowing their shared secret but how could she know he would? He seemed like a nice enough boy but mama bear was out and she was going to protect her bear cub.

If there was one thing having a child like Patton taught her it was to keep an eye out for certain things. Once this Princey came out as a hero of the streets, everyone took a liking to him. Well, not everyone, but most people did. He went through a million different names before his official fan club dropped the name ‘Prince Charging’-which let's be honest was never going to stick- to simply Princey. They said they got the name from a ‘source close to the hero’ and stuck with it, though revealed nothing further. 

It didn’t take much for Maggie to find out where and when these meetings were and even attended a few. It was a surprise to hear a group of people praise this random man with weird powers but she knew, they had to be the minority. People didn’t simply accept these strange powers or she wouldn’t need to protect her son.

That’s how she found them, honestly. A group of people she could relate to. They showed up to the fanclub meeting and told them all what she always knew to be true.

Which is why she had to protect her son. Because not everyone would understand. That’s why she listened to these people at these meetings. That’s why she spends her Wednesday nights hanging on the edge of her seat along with a dozen others. That’s why, as they spoke, her hands shook with fear for her only child.

“He is not a hero, he is a vigilante.” The leader spoke as he paced back and forth in the front of the room. “He is a danger to all of us. He believes to be above the law simply because he has a power over all of us, but we aren’t going to let that happen!”

 

That’s why she was going to do everything in her power to protect Patton from people finding out the truth.

“This ‘Princey’ must be stopped at all costs.”


	6. Upgrade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan was a sucker for a good mystery and it led to a discovery Roman wasn’t quite ready for.

The second he heard a crash of multiple things tumbling to the ground somewhere in the store, Logan stopped and closed his eyes. With a moment to take a breath, he prayed that whatever fell wasn’t broken or a mess he would have to spend far too much time cleaning up before turning and checking the aisles in the bookstore. He stopped at one with someone panicking as the kneeled on the floor and picking up a few books before placing them carefully on the ground in a stack.

“Is everything alright?” The person jumped and looked up at him, their long hair falling over their face as they pushed it out of the way. Once their face was revealed, Logan looked a bit shocked as he stared down at them.

“Oh, sorry about that!” The middle-aged woman stood up and held up the books before turning to Logan. “Oh, hey! Well, howdy neighbor! What are the odds of meeting you here?”

“Well, seeing as this is one of my places of employment, it was more likely than on average.” Logan reached over and took some of the books from her. “Here, allow me to assist.”

“Thank you. Logan, right?” She handed the books back and turned to the shelf, checking before replacing each book in its proper place. “Sorry about that, I’m a bit clumsy!”

“That is fine, it happens from time to time.” Logan smiled down at the book in his hands about flower and plant life for a moment. They replaced the books quickly before Logan turned toward the older woman. “If you don’t mind me asking, you were in a bit of a rush and hadn’t properly introduced yourself last time.”

She looked shocked before turning red from embarrassment. “Oh goodness, I am so silly! I haven’t, have I? Well then!” She stuck out a hand for Logan to shake. “Name’s Leslie! Nice to properly meet you!”

“Likewise.” Logan shook the woman’s hand and gave a smile. “Was there something I can assist you with?”

“Oh, yes! I was hoping I could get a few more books on gardening I suppose? I just got a job with the city to help out with the upkeep of the parks and I’m just making sure I didn’t miss any books my first dozen times through.” She smiled brightly as she waved her arms around as she talked. “I know I’m not the gardener but I want to be able to help as much as I can!”

Leslie turned back toward the books and skimmed through the titled eagerly as if hoping an unfamiliar name would pop out at her. Logan turned and looked up with a bit of a smile. “Well, tell me what exactly you are looking for and I will try my best to be of assistance.”

In the end, Leslie ended up leaving empty handed but she went on a rant about how she was planning on planting more bee-friendly flowers around the city that sparked a fire in her eyes. Logan had walked back to the front of the building as his neighbor walked out when someone else had walked up to him.

“Hi there, do you work here?” Logan spun around and they smiled as they saw his name badge hanging from his shirt. “I was wondering if you have a community board?” They held out a flyer for Logan to take. “I was wondering if it was okay to hang this here.”

—

“I’m back.” Roman wasn’t sure who was in the apartment as he closed the door behind him. He looked over at the couch and beelined for it before falling down and sprawling himself out on his back, letting out a loud frustrated sigh.

The soft sound of footsteps caused him to glance over and found Logan standing in the doorway. “I take it you had an eventful day.” A loud groan was the only answer Logan received from the couch. “Another successful day then, I take it?” He responded, sarcastically.

Roman sighed a bit softer and let his arms fall, covering his eyes. “I have only received one offer and I really don’t want to take it. It’s another boring office job and the pay isn’t even that great but it’s better than the nothing I’m getting now.”

“Roman, I have been curious.” Roman lifted his arm and glanced over at his roommate. “Have you not thought of assisting a theater with financial issues? It’s a mix of two skills you have acquired and seems like the likely option of keeping you both happy and employed.”

Roman sat up and looked over at Logan as if he had just been given a precious treasure. “Why didn’t I think of that?” Roman jumped up from the couch with a smile on his face. “That is perfect! Well, at least it’s a good place to start! I could just talk to my own theater and see the budgeting and try to figure something out!”

Roman was marching toward the front door when Logan reached out and grabbed his wrist. “Just one moment.” Roman turned around and saw Logan standing there, a paper in his hands. “Before you go, I figured you would want to see this first.”

Logan handed Roman the flier as he inspected it closely. “It’s just another flier for that fan club of mine.” Roman looked up from the paper curiously. “Why would this be important? We already know about this. You went with Patton, remember?”

“I am aware you went there with Virgil once as well.” Logan pointed to the bottom of the flier. “There seemed to be a hidden cipher using cryptography written at the bottom that I think might intrigue you.”

Roman looked at the random letters at the bottom of the page. After a few moments of trying to decipher it, he looked back up at Logan. “Let me guess, you have it figured out?”

With a smirk, logan adjusted the glasses on his face. “Well, of course.” He turned and walked back into the kitchen, Roman intrigued and trailing close behind. “I had to figure out what sort of cipher they were using. This particular one was a basic one that took only a few minutes before I had cracked the code. It’s all beginner level but very well done.”

Roman looked over to a spare sheet of paper on the table Logan used to scribble out a few ideas. “This is straight out of Gravity Falls, nice job Sherlock!”

“Out of what now?”

Roman chose to ignore Logan as he picked up the paper, his smile dropping from his face as he read the deciphered code on the bottom. “Are you sure about this?” Logan simply nodded as Roman glanced back at the page, watching Logan’s handwriting slowly spell out a few letters with the code written at the bottom of the page.

P R I N C E E M E R G E N C Y

Roman placed the paper back onto the table as he eyed it carefully, his mind racing with a million possible scenarios. “Apparently this has been at the bottom of their fliers for about two weeks.” Logan walked over and looked down at the flier. “They still hold weekly meetings but I suppose the location has changed. Someone brought this in today in hopes that the word got out before the meeting tonight.”

“Tonight?!” Roman perked up and smiled. “Well, I can’t let my fan club be disappointed in me, can I?” Roman turned and marched out of the room, eager to get prepared. Logan shook his head and sighed with a slight smirk on his face. He turned toward the entrance of Roman’s room as the other marched out, his mask adorned on his face and his red pullover hoodie with the crown symbol on the back. “While I do wish I had my prince costume, this will have to do I suppose!”

“Just a thought, but wouldn’t it be smarter of you to go incognito?” Logan motioned to his outfit. “Do you really want to announce who you are? We don’t know if this is a trick of some sort, it would be wiser to take the cautious route.”

Roman waved off Logan as he scoffed, mocking the idea. “When have I ever been subtle and cautious?”

“I’m not sure, but perhaps you’d like to try and not get stabbed again?” Roman’s face fell and he placed a hand to his side where a small, faint scar resided. “I will go with you and we can deal with this together. I’m sure Patton and Virgil will not mind a quiet night.”

Roman reached up and worked to remove the mask that fit on his face perfectly. “Perhaps you are right. I shall try a different approach.” He looked down at his mask sadly. “Remind me to look into getting a new costume together. This hoodie just does not have the same flair.”

“No, I suppose it does not.” Logan turned to walk into his own room adjacent to Roman’s. “I shall inform the others we will be out tonight. It is all the way across town so if we leave relatively soon, we can make it a bit early and perhaps miss the whole thing.”

Roman watched Logan’s door shut close and he huffed playfully. “It’s almost as if you don’t want to sit and talk about me all night!”

They eventually gathered their belongings and waited for Patton and Virgil to arrive back to the apartment. They still had plenty of time to make it to the meeting but Logan was eager to go and get it over with as quickly as possible.

With their farewells, they walked out of the apartment only for Logan to stop and smirk. “Leslie. It is nice to see you again.”

The older woman turned and smiled at the two. “Logan! Oh and goodness, I don’t believe we have met!”

Roman puffed out his chest and reached out to shake the woman’s hand. “Roman. It is a pleasure, Leslie.” The woman smiled and shook his hand back, glancing over at Logan who simply shook his head at Roman’s attempts at being charming.

“Well, it is nice to meet more of my new neighbors! Going out for a bit?”

“We have some business to take care of across town.” Logan nodded to the woman. “So I’m afraid we must cut this short.”

“Of course, don’t let me keep you!” Leslie waved and made the way to the door leading to her own apartment up the stairs.

Logan turned and walked off of the porch before turning and heading toward the bus stop.

“She seemed nice.” Roman looked over his shoulder to the door the woman walked through. “You met her already?”

“Once with Patton and she also showed up at the bookstore earlier today. Let’s go, I do not wish to miss this bus and have to wait for the next one.”

—

Patton sat on the couch as Virgil lectured him, pacing back and forth as he picked up a few spare things that had been left around the living area.

“-and you don’t have to clean up after us all the time, Pat.” Virgil reached out and picked up a blanket, holding it out and folding it as best he could. “You’re always cleaning. Whether it’s you or the pals, you can relax. We can clean up around here too.” Virgil placed the blanket on the back of the couch and looked down at Patton. “Okay? Don’t push yourself like this.”

“I’m sorry, Virge. I’ve just been getting, I dunno, antsy lately?” Patton rubbed his arms and looked down at the carpet. “Like I can’t sit still but there’s this heavy weight in my chest? It’s not all the time but it’s been happening when I’m here a lot.”

The front door to the apartment opened and Logan stood there, almost frozen as he watched the other two on the couch. “Forget something, Lo?” Virgil asked curiously.

That seemed to snap Logan out of it as he nodded. “Yes, please excuse me.” He closed the door and looked around the apartment frantically. “I think it might be in my room, but I’m not sure…”

“Alright then.” Virgil shrugged and nudged his head toward the direction of Logan’s room. The other seemed to take that as a sign to enter the apartment further, eyeing them curiously. “You okay?”

“Are you both alright?” Virgil frowned and turned to Patton.

“I’m fine, Logan.” Patton smiled up at him. “Don’t worry about it. Go get what you’re looking for so you and Roman won’t be late, okay?”

Logan watched Patton carefully before looking up at Virgil. Slowly, he nodded and turned, heading for his room. Virgil huffed and looked back down at Patton who seemed to sink further into the couch. “What were you saying earlier?”

“It’s not bad or anything! I just feel something I can’t quite explain.” Patton took a moment to think before looking up at Virgil. “It’s like that feeling you did something wrong and you’re waiting for the bad stuff to happen after.”

Virgil pursed his lips as he concentrated before tilting his head curiously. “Like… you’re anxious about something?”

“Yeah, I guess? It’s never usually this bad though.” Patton rubbed at the spot on his chest before looking up at the other. “Not quite sure why, though.”

Virgil was silent before deciding to take a seat next to his roommate. “Okay, listen to me. I want you to take a deep breath in through your nose and hold it until I say.” Patton nodded and closed his eyes. “Now stop and hold it.” Patton squeezed his eyes shut more as he kept still. “Now let it out through your mouth slowly.” Patton followed along and opened his eyes. “How do you feel?”

Patton’s nose scrunched up as he shook his head. “Still there but not as bad? Maybe?”

Virgil nodded and closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing and doing as he had told Patton to do. Virgil repeated his process a few times before opening his eyes. “And now?”

Patton blinked and placed a hand on his chest before his eyes widened. “Was I feeling your anxiety this whole time?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Virgil leaned back into the couch and sneered a bit. “I don’t like the idea of you feeling my bad emotions all the time.”

“It can’t be helped.” Patton waved it off as if it were nothing. “I love you too much, I’ll just have to deal with it. Besides!” Patton smiled over at him. “We can help each other out with it then! Sure, there’s no cure but if you ever need help, you can come to me and we can figure it out together!”

Logan’s bedroom door slammed shut as he quickly made his way into the living room and looked at the two on the couch. He had a black journal clutched close to his chest as he looked down at the two. “I seem to have found what I was looking for so I’m just gonna go before I’m even more late.” Logan nodded his head goodbye at the two before quickly making his way out of the apartment.

Patton and Virgil kept quiet for a moment, a bit confused, until Virgil stood up from the couch. “You’re not doing chores today, go relax! That’s final.”

—

Logan carefully checked the address on his GPS before they made it to an old office building. Once inside, they made their way up to the third floor in the old, slow elevator. Roman seemed on edge as he complained he could have walked up the stairs faster than the elevator was taking them before it finally dinged open at their destination. He was out the door as soon as they opened as he spotted the paper pointing to the new meeting place with a big arrow.

Roman marched down the short hallway and stopped at a meeting room, a table lined with chairs and dozens of others stacked on the side. He pushed the door open and turned, holding it for Logan as he managed to catch up.

The room had quite a few more people already than Logan had expected seeing as they were a bit early. A few people stood around the room, setting up a few snacks on a side table as they all talked and laughed amongst themselves. When the door shut with a thud behind them, they all turned to the entrance. Most of the faces were unfamiliar but of course, there were two that both Logan and Roman noticed immediately.

“Sam!” Roman threw his hands up in the air as he walked forward. “Sammy! It’s so nice to see you both! It has been far too long!”

The group watched as the two grown men raced across the room, dropping everything they were doing to run over and greet the two ‘newcomers’. Sam was still a head taller than Sammy, the short blonde smiling up at the two of them. “You made it!”

“Salutations.” Logan greeted kindly. “I brought Roman here with me this time around. I apologize that our visits have been very sporadic.” Logan motioned to his roommate and the two men lit up at finally discovering their hero’s true identity. Roman turned and glared at Logan for letting information slip while Logan simply shrugged it off. “We were also curious about that little code you left at the bottom.” Logan leaned in and spoke quieter. “I was hoping we could discuss that before the meeting began?”

“Well, we will discuss it as the meeting starts to get comfortable. We don’t want to let anything slip so we want this to be as normal as possible.”

Sammy turned and smiled, gathering everyone else’s attention. “Guys, this is Logan and Roman. They’ve been to some of the earlier meetings back at the cafe once or twice.” The two nodded to each other before diverting to the snacks, smiling and waving at the other patrons of the night.

The room filled in rather quickly shortly after that as the time approached. Roman’s eyes lit up every time he turned and watched all the seats being taken, the spare chairs from the side is set up as the empty seats were being taken. A few people spared glances his way and perked up, recognizing him and waving. Roman smiled and waved back before Logan suggested they moved seats to the corner of the room, hidden as much as possible before someone accidentally blew their cover.

The meeting started shortly after that, Sam standing tall and welcoming everyone as the chatter of the room quieted.

“As you all know, I will start the meeting as I did last week. We are still printing the codes at the bottoms of the paper for a few more weeks until we are sure Princey shows up.”

“Princey?” Roman asked, stiffening up at the nickname Virgil calls him. “I thought… wasn’t he Prince Charging? Or even the Masked Prince like the news calls him?”

“Yes, but after a brief encounter once, we have shortened it to Princey. To be honest, Prince Charging is a bit of a mouthful after saying it too much.” Roman nodded and kept quiet, letting him continue. “We have let out a call to Princey to warn him of the interaction at our last meeting held at the cafe.”

Sammy stood up this time. “We switched locations after discovering someone had been coming to the meetings only to try and convince people that Princey was to be stopped. After taking a few members that night, we decided to pick a more secure location away from anyone that could simply eavesdrop in. However, this creates a problem.” Sammy looked Roman and Logan directly in the eye as he spoke. “There is a group out there dedicated to stopping him by any means.” He shifted his eyes away quickly as Roman’s mouth dropped, speechless. “Prince Charging has done nothing but stop criminals and rescue others. There have even been reports of him simply sitting down and talking to those who needed it.” Roman nodded at that part, recalling a few times he would be led to someone who needed a shoulder to cry on. “While he hasn’t broken any laws specifically yet, they feel he is a vigilante above the law which we know is not true. We are here to show our support and to help him. Now, I open the floor to anyone with suggestions on how to stop this new group.”

Roman wasn’t sure what anyone was saying after that, hearing an entire hate group was out to get him. For what? For, for helping people? That was preposterous! What was wrong with trying to help others? He’s hardly even hurt those he was defending himself against!

Logan placed a hand on Roman’s arm, keeping his attention on the discussion around them before giving his attention to Roman. “Do you need a moment?” Roman shook his head and looked up, trying his best to give his attention to those around him.

By the end of the meeting, Roman had felt a little better, taking in what was said and happy for the support of these strangers around him. Sam and Sammy didn’t say much other than wishing them a good night. They finished the meeting saying how they would continue printing the code on the fliers until they were sure the Prince got the message and stopped by but not much else. Roman was appreciative of that, knowing that suddenly not printing it would be a big hint that he had indeed been to that meeting.

They made their way home on the bus quietly, neither one really saying a word. Logan would comment on things but Roman was lost in his own thoughts. He bit his tongue and ground his teeth together as he glared at the city that passed them by. Once it was their stop, Roman stomped off and marched through the streets approaching their apartment.

Logan watched concerned as he felt the air shift around him. The hair on the back of his neck began to stand on end as they continued to walk. He could feel something charged in the air that made him uncomfortable as he reached out and carefully placed a hand on Roman’s back. A small blue spark shot out at him as he recoiled, not feeling it at all but having spooked him just the same. Roman stopped and turned, frowning at the sight of Logan holding his hand close.

Roman took a moment to breathe before turning to Logan. “I’m sorry, I just…” He threw his arms out. “What do they want from me? I give them everything, I follow every rule I can and I try my best to protect them and they’re out to get me? Why?!”

“Roman, perhaps it is best to calm down.” Logan let go of his hand once he was sure it was uninjured. “They were cautious and managed to get a message out to you. We know about this other group now. We can figure out a plan and stop them before something bad happens.”

“Like what? I can’t go to the police and be like, ‘yes hello, there’s a hate group after me. Oh, by the way, I can zap people!’ That’s not how this works!”

“No, that is why we should all gather and come up with a strategy. We know now, we can prepare ourselves!”

Roman stomped his foot angrily. “Why do you even care?!”

“Because this is more than just about you!” Logan shouted back, causing Roman to recoil. Logan never raised his voice but his eyes showed how much anger and rage he was holding back. “They find you, then they find us.” Logan’s voice grew quiet. “Did you really think they wouldn’t search for others like you?” Roman’s anger seemed to have simmered down a bit as he talked. “This affects all of us, and we will figure it all out together.”

“You’re right, I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize, though I do appreciate it.” Logan looked around them as he made his way back down the street. “Let’s just go home to Virgil and Patton and we can talk about this together.”

It was quiet for a few years before Roman started chuckling to himself. “Hey. Hey, Logan.” The spectacled man turned and watched the other curiously. “We’re going home to our boyfriends.” Roman burst out into happy giggled once more, using his hands to cover his face.

Logan burst out into a blush and turned back, marching down the street quicker to leave Roman behind. “Why are you so insufferable?”

“Aww, did I embarrass you?” Logan could feel the tips of his ears turn red as he glanced up and finally saw their apartment building. “What’s the matter, Logan? Super excited to see Patton your boyfriend?”

“I am locking the door when we get there and you can sit outside.” Despite his words, Logan was smiling as he started to jog, making his way up the few stairs to the porch.

“No fair! Logan, come on! Don’t do this to me!” Logan turned and watched Roman approach the porch before closing the door, effectively locking it and turning around to enter the apartment.

“Hey.” Virgil appeared in a doorway. “How’d it go?”

“There was a bit of troubling news we will have to discuss, unfortunately.”

Virgil frowned and eyed the door closely. “Did that book you grabbed help?”

“What?”

There was a loud knocking at the door as Roman shouted, his cries muffled through the door. Virgil glanced at Logan before walking over and unlocking it, opening it carefully. “Roman.”

“Oh, Virgil! Light of my life, thank you!” Roman placed his hands over his heart as he smiled down. “Logan was being terribly rude and locked me out!”

“You chose to mock and embarrass me.” Logan crossed his arms and stood his ground.

Virgil looked over his shoulder and looked back up at Roman before shrugging. “Sounds like you deserved it, oh well.”

“Wait-” Virgil slammed the door and locked it once more before turning away and raising his arm. Logan reached up and they high-fived as Virgil walked by, making his way toward the kitchen. Roman banged on the door more, his cries louder as he went on about a betrayal that broke his heard.

“So,” Virgil smirked over at him before he walked into the kitchen. “Want some dinner? There were leftovers and it looks like there’s going to be plenty to share now.”

Patton walked out of his room and looked over at Logan as the banging on the front door continued. “Logan, why is Roman knocking in the front door?”

“Perhaps because it is locked.” Patton sighed and turned toward the front door. “I suppose he has been served a proper punishment by now if you choose to let him in.” Logan walked into the kitchen without another word.

When Patton unlocked the front door, Roman was holding up a fist, ready to knock loudly as much as he could. “Ah, my hero! They locked me out, they were going to leave me out here all night!”

“Don’t be absurd, I would have let you in eventually.” Logan sat down with a plate of chicken leftover from dinner.

Virgil scoffed and shook his head. “I wouldn’t have.”

Roman placed a hand over his heart as he flinched back, acting as if the words caused physical harm. “Betrayed by one I hold so dear! Perhaps it simply wasn’t meant to be.” Roman put the back of his hand to his forehead and threw his head back dramatically. “Woe is me, my heart! My heart!”

“Well someone doesn’t want his present I made him.” Roman perked up and looked over at Virgil who ducked his head away to hide his blush. “Shame, I spent so much time in it too.”

“You made me something?” Roman smiled as he whispered as if he couldn’t believe his own words. “Really?”

Virgil rolled his eyes and pretended the smirk on his face did not bother him as he flushed even more. “Come on, I’ll show you or you’ll never leave me alone about it.”

As Virgil walked by, Roman turned and followed him like a puppy, eager and excited to discover his present. Virgil walked into his room and flicked on the light, smiling as he saw something sitting in his room. He turned back to glance at Roman before finally moving to the side so the other could walk in.

“I think it’ll be obvious before you see it but I’m still nervous.” Roman glanced around Virgil’s room before his eyes landed on something tall covered in a blanket across the room. “So they closed down the shop and moved to a bigger location and wanted to give me a promotion. Basically, I help stock and order things but I also am in charge of the other new stock crew, or whatever.”

“Really?” Roman was distracted enough by the story to turn away and look over at the other. “You hate responsibility. And working hard. And being in charge.”

Virgil shrugged and motioned back towards the draped cloth. “I said I would do it if they helped me with this. I don’t have the skills to pull something quite like this off, but I think you’ll be surprised.” Virgil walked over and carefully tugged at the blanket.

“Wait.” Roman perked up and smiled as he almost dances in place in excitement. “Wait, did you…?” Virgil pulled back the blanket and revealed the dressed mannequin underneath, causing Roman to let out a loud gasp in shock. “Oh my…”

The mannequin was dressed in a white formal jacket that held golden and red accents. The jacket had coat tails on the back and red accents on the shoulders that mimicked his old white jacket with the red sash. Two cords hung over the left shoulder, a bit short as to not snag on anything unexpectedly. There was no sash this time, but a blue vest and red ascot stuck out from underneath the jacket. The pants held a red stripe going down the sides, balancing it all together.

“Virgil, this is…” Roman shook his head as he took a step closer, taking it all in. He looked down at the bottom and noticed red matching leather boots that were dyed to match the fabric perfectly.

Virgil walked up and held out his arms, holding the last few remaining pieces. There was a short red cape that held a few accessories on top of it. A belt, a pair of red leather gloves that matched the boots perfectly, and a mask. A brand new mask almost exactly like his last one. It was black with the matching gold trim except for this time, it spiked up in the middle above his nose and between his eyes as it resembled a crown.

Roman was speechless as he reached out and picked up the mask. It seemed sleeker than his previous one as he turned and looked back at the mannequin dressed in what could only be his new costume. “Virgil, I, how…” Roman shook his head and looked at the other. “How did you manage all of this?”

Virgil shrugged as he smiled, blush still on his face as he looked a bit shy. “I had those designs and after your last one got ruined, I figured, you know…”

Roman placed the mask back down and took everything into his arms. “This is amazing! I'm… Virgil, I’m honestly speechless.”

“Well, if you have nothing good to say then maybe you should at least put it on before you decide if you like it or not.”

“Like it?” Roman looked shocked as he shook his head. “Like it? Like it?! Virgil, I love it! No, not good enough. I adore it! I can't… I can’t begin to describe how much I am in love with it! I have to put it on right now!”

“Woah okay! Calm down!” Virgil laughed as he took the cape with all the accessories back as Roman carefully inspected the mannequin to remove the articles of clothing. “Prince Charging is back in action then?”

“Yes!” In Roman’s excitement, he put on the jacket over his regular shirt and adjusted it before going over to Virgil’s mirror and inspecting it. “There’s a small embroidery on the tailcoats! Ahh!” Roman sounds around and held up a fist in front of him. “I’d like to see my hate club take me down now!”

“Wait, your what?” Roman froze and looked over at Virgil slowly. “What are you talking about? Roman?” He winced as Virgil’s voice grew louder and more panicked. “Roman!”

“Wait, kill me after I get this all on! Virgil–wait Virgil no!” Roman held up his arms as Virgil marched over, glaring down at him intensely. “I’m sorry!”

Patton and Logan looked at each other from across the table as shouts of laughter reached across the apartment. Patton simply giggled as Logan shook his head at their roommates’ antics.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUESS WHAT?! Robinsdraw, the wonderful human behind the animation, helped design Roman's new outfit! Here's the link!  
> https://robinsdraw.tumblr.com/post/177001155434/the-amazing-awesome-perfect-beautiful-i-may-be


	7. Let's talk about that

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan invites over Thomas so the two can sit down and talk and try to figure some stuff out… perhaps maybe even figure out a few things…

\---

Breakfast was a newer thing at the apartment. With everything cleaned and unpacked, there was finally space to cook and move around in the kitchen. They had avoided it as much as possible the first week until Logan gave a speech about proper dieting, Patton backing him up every step of the way.

Roman got up that morning and found Logan over the stove, Patton giving him tips and advice while Logan took the reins. He seemed comfortable cooking but when Patton would give him an odd instruction, he just seemed perplexed and would start asking questions. Roman smiled at the sight before Patton pushed Logan playfully out of the way and told him to take a seat at the table.

Logan sat with a mug of coffee in his hand before looking at Roman. He took a sip from his mug as Roman leaned onto his hand, his elbow resting on the table. “That was strangely domestic of you two.”

Logan sighed and shook his head as Patton walked over with two plates in his hand. “There is nothing strange about it. I have more culinary skills when it comes to baking and had been teaching Patton, whereas-” Patton leaned down and slid a plate in front of Logan, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before walking over and handing Roman his own plate. Without another word, Patton turned back to the stove to prepare two more plates. Logan watched him every step, spinning around in his chair as Patton walked away.

“Yo, pocket protector. Logan.” Roman stood up and reached over, nudging the other's shoulder. “Hey, Logan!”

“What?” He snapped his neck back around and sat in his chair, his cheeks rosy and a smile on his face. “I’m sorry, you were saying?”

Roman raised a brow and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “No, you were saying but then you stopped. What was that?”

“Oh, well.” Logan cleared his throat and placed a hand on his cheek as Patton sat down with his breakfast in hand. “It’s nothing, I apologize.”

“You okay, Lo?” Patton blinked and leaned over. “You look a little red.”

“After that kiss you gave him, Pat?” Roman finally picked up his silverware and began to dig into his eggs. “You took him completely by surprise.”

“Kiss that I gave…” Patton covered his mouth and looked at Logan in shock. “Oh my gosh I didn’t even think about it I just kind of did it, Logan I’m so sorry!”

“No, it’s okay.” Logan cleared his throat as he began to eat if nothing was wrong. “It was more than okay, you needn’t worry.” He glanced up and saw the happiness radiating from Patton before he looked back down at his plate. “What is on the agenda for today?”

“Well, I’m going to take your advice and go talk to the theater heads about their finances and see if I can’t help.”

“I have work today.” Patton turned to Logan with a smirk. “What are you planning?”

“Actually, I invited Thomas over today for a bit.” 

“Aww, I’m gonna miss Thomas?” Patton poked at the eggs on his plate as he huffed. 

Logan smirked and stared at Patton a bit, sitting in silence until Roman cleared his throat. Logan flushed and shifted in his seat. “I’m sure Thomas will be equally upset but I can pass along the message if you would like.”

Virgil entered the kitchen with a groan, squinting at the lights as he made his way slowly to the table. He plopped down in his chair and Patton stood up, walking to the counter and grabbing the last plate, placing it down in front of Virgil. He made his way to the fridge and also poured a glass of orange juice. Once it made it to the table, Virgil audibly groaned and looked up. “Can’t I have coffee instead?”

Patton placed his hands on his hips and frowned at the youngest roommate. “You usually avoid coffee because it worsens your anxiety and I’ve seen you have some for the past three days! Orange juice will be good for you.”

“Patton, I need the caffeine, you don’t understand.” Virgil leaned forward and glared at his plate. “I’m gonna die if I don’t!”

“That’s not true and you know it.” Patton sat back down in his chair and Virgil huffed, silently eating his breakfast as the mundane chatter continued.

When everything was done and the dishes were gathered in the sink, everyone prepared themselves for the day. Virgil made it out the door first, having the longest commute out of all of them. Then Roman called out, asking for luck on another day of job searching, more confident than he had been previous days. Finally, Patton stood at the door, his lunch packed away in his lunchbox as he said his goodbyes.

“-and you’re sure you don’t mind me leaving? You’ll have to cook lunch, Two doesn’t mind! There’s also the dishes from breakfast!”

Logan reached out and placed his hands softly on Patton’s shoulders. “I’m an adult, Patton. I can cook for myself, don’t worry. If you leave Two with us, you’ll be leaving yourself just as worried. We’ll be fine.”

“You’re right. You always are.” Patton shrugged and looked at Logan, watching him as the other stood there, staring back curiously. “I, uh…” Patton licked his lips and turned away. “I’m sorry about earlier, at breakfast. I didn’t even think about it.”

Logan grabbed one of Patton’s hands and leaned in. “You mean the kiss?” Patton looked up and peered over the frames of his glasses and nodded. “Well, I suppose I only make it fair.”

Patton perked up immediately and jumped, wrapping his arms around Logan’s shoulders as he leaned in, their lips meeting briefly in a moment of excitement. “Oh gosh, I did it again, huh?” Patton chuckled and backed away, noticing his boyfriend staring back and much more flushed than before. “Lo, are you okay?” Logan blinked and nodded, smiling wide as his eyes drooped a bit. “Well then! I’m off to work!” Patton waved and turned, walking out the door and closing it shut with a click. After he was gone, Logan raised a hand and waved, muttering to himself as he walked back to the couch and sat down in a daze.

He rested his head back and let out a sigh of content, sitting in silence and letting his mind wander. There was a knock on the door and he perked up, stretching and making his way over. When he opened it, he saw Thomas standing there, phone in his hand and looking concerned. 

“Logan! You weren’t answering your phone.” Thomas blinked and smiled a bit as the worry melted away. “Well, you look pleased with yourself. Figure something out or make some new discovery or something?”

Logan moved out of the way and motioned for him to enter. Thomas walked in as he shut the door. “Not really, I suppose I got lost in thought waiting for your arrival. My phone is currently not on my person, an oversight on my part.” Logan made his way to the kitchen where he remembered leaving his phone by the coffee pot. “I do apologize for making you worry.”

“Just thinking, huh?” Thomas followed and watched Logan pick up his phone and light up the screen, jerking in surprise at the notifications. “You must have been deep in thought.”

“Perhaps.” Logan tapped away on the phone before sticking it into his pocket. “Right. I believe I texted you about something I wanted you to bring.”

Thomas snapped his fingers and pointed at Logan with a triumphant smile. “Yes! On the day we met, you had this little travel memo pad you wrote down stuff about all of us and our powers. After I accidentally wiped your memory, I grabbed it and left. Or something like that, I don’t remember all the details. Is that right?”

“That is correct.” Logan made his way across the apartment and to his own bedroom, walking in and inviting Thomas alongside him. “After that, I purchased a journal that I never left the apartment with and rewrote everything I was able to discover. Now, you still had the memo pad if I remember correctly.”

“I do!” Thomas smiled and perked up. “I put it somewhere I would be sure I would never lose it or forget where it was!”

“So you knew where it was?”

“Nope, I completely forgot.” He still smiled as his enthusiasm washed away. “Sorry, I remember everything else though, just not where it is.”

Logan sighed and walked over to his bookshelf, eyes searching each one carefully. “That is fine, I suppose. I was the one who wiped your memory, after all.”

Thomas sat down on Logan’s bed and looked at the bookshelf. “What are you looking for?”

“My journal, I managed to have the foresight to grab it before we left with everything on fire.” Logan frowned and started back at the top as he checked the shelves once more. “I was hoping to keep notes along with all of ours as we worked today on your secondary ability.”

Thomas hummed and watched Logan take a step back from his bookshelf. “So, you did research on all of this, right?”

“Yeah…” Logan was a bit distracted as he placed a hand on his chin. “I was trying to discover where our powers came from, but it came to a dead end.” His eyes flashed a bright gold and all the books shook, slowly flying off of the shelves and into the air. “It seems to be some sort of mutation that affects each of us differently, resulting in different abilities. I didn’t have the tools to research why we had the powers we do.”

“Well, it works out strangely well, doesn’t it?” Logan watched as each book passed in front of his eyes, frowning more and more as he came up empty-handed. “It’s almost as if they were formed for each of us individually.”

The books suddenly froze, the sound of pages flipping coming to a halt as Logan slowly turned around. His pupils were still ablaze with the golden shine as he stared at Thomas in amazement. “Say that again.”

“Say what?”

“That our powers were formed for us and not the other way around. That’s… I hadn’t thought about that.” The books wavered in the air as they threatened to drop where they were. Logan blinked and turned back around, each flying back to the shelves, not in the same order they were taken down. Logan seemed rushed as each shoved itself back onto the bookcase as Logan went to his desk and pulled out blank paper and a pen. “That’s so simple, I had completely overlooked it!” He scribbled down onto the paper as quickly as he could. “We are not formed by our abilities, no! They form with each of our personalities and experiences!”

“So, you’re saying they became what they are because of the type of person we are?” Thomas stood up and walked over to Logan’s desk, keeping his distance just to be safe. “So, you’re psychokinesis?”

“It makes sense, I was always into books and learning as a child and my parents always encouraged those behaviors. Enriching my mind with the mutation, it makes sense the way it had formed. When I was four, I started moving things around on accident.” Logan wrote down the information he had just shared and looked over at Thomas. “We have to see if this theory proves true. What about Roman?”

Thomas furrowed his brow and leaned away from the desk. “Well, his are very flashy and grabs everyone’s attention, just like Roman does when he’s acting. Also that electric whip and net he can do? Super creative and flexible.”

“It’s almost as if he can do with it as he wishes as long as he thinks it.” Logan slid into his chair and continued writing as fast as he could. “That works out perfectly for him. Even his secondary ability, it’s like it formed to help him in his frivolous crime solving.”

“Patton’s makes sense too. He seems like the type of guy who would love being around others and helping any way he can.” Thomas leaned over the desk once more as Logan started a new section for Patton. “Having the ability to make more of yourself makes it so you don’t spread yourself too thin and you’ll never be lonely.”

“Virgil's also followed this formula. He’s an overly cautious person who hates wasting his time. I can see him wishing there was more time in the day so he could laze about and still get work done. All that with his abilities make perfect sense.” Logan leaned back from the papers that held his terribly quick paced handwriting. “It all fits. Somehow, this mutation we are born with starts to form once our personalities really take shape. I’m sure if I ask, I can get age ranges for all the others and make a graph with some backup evidence, oh this is rather exciting!” Logan turned to Thomas who was dazed as he stared at the wall across the room. “Thomas, is there an issue?”

“I don’t fit then, do I?” He looked down at Logan and sighed, running his hand through his hair. “Taking people’s abilities away? That doesn’t really make any sense, does it?”

Logan placed his pen down and looked at his notes. “No. I suppose it does not.” Looking back up, he adjusted his glasses and turned in his chair. “Let us take a different approach. Perhaps figuring out the type of person you are and see if there is any connection to your abilities that way.”

Thomas crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged before nodding. “Alright. Let’s give it a try.”

Logan took a moment to think before he perked up. “You are a very altruistic person, very kind and forgiving.” Thomas looked at Logan and smirked a bit. “You always wish to help those around you, even at the risk of harming yourself. You proved that when you stepped in the way of that creature to save me.”

“I know you’re just trying to cheer me up.” Thomas blushed in embarrassment as he turned away. “You don’t have to exaggerate anything just for me.”

“Oh, but I’m not. You truly are a kind-hearted person, Thomas.” He turned and looked back at Logan, watching the other’s smirk fall as Logan blinked in shock. “Very kind… and giving…” 

“Logan, you alright?”

Turning back toward his desk, Logan grabbed a blank piece of paper and began writing. “You aren’t one to take, so why are your powers the opposite of your normal behaviors? Was it something as a child, perhaps? Or maybe it’s…” The pen stopped and he looked up, watching as Thomas grew more concerned. “It’s because that’s not your primary ability.”

“What?” Thomas blinked and shook his head. “Logan, you’re not making any sense.”

“Of course I am! Think about it!” He turned in his chair to Thomas as he smirked, his eyes shining as he spoke. “Our abilities grow as we use them. Patton started out just making copies and held back for years. Even after moving out on his own, it wasn’t until he lived with us that he noticed his empathic abilities!” 

“So? I’m still lost.”

Logan sighed and rolled his shoulders. “Okay, imagine this.” He held up his left-hand pointer finger. “You used your primary ability so much that you grow a secondary ability.” Logan held his right-hand pointer finger and held them together. “Then with your secondary ability growing, you met us. We ask you to use and train your abilities but we aren’t meeting the requirements for you to use your primary and you use your secondary. Without knowing they were there, you were untrained and could easily misuse it.”

Thomas nodded slowly and bit his lip. “I think I get it? You’re saying I was using my main abilities and never noticed? How does that happen?”

“Well, what is your ability?”

“I take people’s powers away?”

Logan nodded. “Power absorption. What if your primary was similar in the way it only worked with other people with powers?”

Realization finally settled in on Thomas as he let out a gasp in shock. “I can absorb powers all day and it doesn’t matter if someone doesn’t have any! Logan, that’s genius!”

With a smirk, Logan adjusted his glasses. “Oh, trust me, I know.”

“Wait, so… what’s my primary power?”

Logan turned in his chair once more and wrote a new section for Thomas. “Kind, caring, giving… I believe my assumptions this whole time may be correct.” He turned and smiled up at Thomas. “I believe you have the ability of power enhancement.”

Thomas paused as his jaw dropped. “Wait, I can make you guys stronger?!” Logan smirked and stood up, almost knocking over his chair in his excitement. “It makes the most sense! Not only can you take, but you can also give! It works both ways, lending your strength where it is needed.”

“Holy shmokes.” He smiled and started to laugh, spinning around in excitement. “Holy shmokes, that’s awesome! I guess if I didn’t have powers to enhance I would have been doing it all along!”

“Well, one way to be completely sure.”

Thomas turned to Logan and froze as his hand was extended out. Just like that, the excitement Thomas felt vanished as a pit of dread started to form. “A-are you sure? I don’t know how it’ll work yet.”

“Wondering about it won’t help, there is only one way to know for sure. We will be careful and cautious, we know how your absorption works so we start there.”

Thomas sighed and Logan walked around him, sitting on his bed. “Come on, Thomas. I trust you, we can do this.”

Thomas slowly nodded and walked over, sitting on the bed himself. They faced each other as Logan offered his hand once more. “Are you ready?”

“Of course. Whenever you are ready.” Thomas reached out and froze. “How do these powers feel to you?”

“Well, I guess…” He clenched his fist and stared at the soft blanket they sat on. “It’s like this feeling in my chest and when I tug on it, it starts taking.”

“Perhaps if you focus on that and see what works? We will take it slow.”

Thomas finally reached out and grabbed Logan’s hand before focusing on that feeling. Normally, he pulled on it to get it to work, but this time he let it sit. He felt Logan’s grip tighten in support as he zeroed in on the feeling. Slowly focusing, Thomas began to push that feeling as hard as he could, his hand holding Logan’s quickly grew warmer and warmer as he did so. A shock ran up his spine and he pulled away, suddenly feeling a bit cold. He rubbed his hands up and down his arms as he looked over at Logan.

The telepath’s eyes were lit up, shining between its usual golden glow with a blue hue he had never seen before. Logan blinked and frowned as he watched Thomas closely. “I believe that was working just fine, my hand grew warm instead of cold as it normally does. Why did you pull away?”

“I just, I dunno, got a bit cold. I felt something and pulled back.” Logan sighed, obviously disappointed, as he slid off of his bed and to his notes. “I’m sorry, Logan.”

“No reason to be.” Logan jotted down a few notes and turned in his chair with a smile. “That helped confirm our theory. I’ll have to go over everything with the others but I think we figured it out. I shall add these to my previous notes when I find my journal.”

Thomas nodded as he felt a shiver quickly run through him. “Oh gosh, sorry! I don’t feel that cold, I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”

“Then perhaps a break for lunch and some relaxation is necessary?”

\---

Logan stared at his bookcase with a frown on his face, his new notes sitting stapled on his bed. No matter how many times he went through it, there was a missing spot where his journal should have been. He had no idea what happened to it but there was evidence it had been placed there when he moved in so he was sure it didn’t go very far.

Logan heard the door creak open and turned to exit his room, Roman walking toward his own bedroom across the hall. 

“Ah, Roman. Perfect timing, have you seen my journal?”

“Nice to see you too.” Roman turned and leaned on the doorframe to his room. “So, how was your day with Thomas?”

“Monumentally successful, but I have a small dilemma. Do you know what happened to my journal? It is no longer on my bookshelf.”

“Nope, sorry. I don’t enter the nerd zone.”

The sound of the front door opening caught Logan’s attention as he made his way to the entrance. He entered the room and saw the front door open but no one in sight. “Hello? Patton? Virgil?” When he was met with silence, he huffed and marched over to the door to close it. “Roman!”

It took a moment before the other appeared, fixing his hair. “What is it? Who was that?”

“No one was there. Did you leave the front door open?”

Roman placed his hand on his chest and huffed. “Well, I never! No, I shut it like I always do. Besides, don’t you want to hear my good news?”

“Oh? There’s good news?”

“I got a job!”

Logan blinked and smiled when Roman threw his hands in the air. “Well, that certainly is good news. Did your theater hire you to help with the finances?”

“No, even better.” Roman held up a finder to hold the silence as he waited for dramatic tension. “They suggested I go to the city and after talking a bit and a sudden interview, they hired me to work for the city doing pretty much the same thing!” Roman turned and marched over to his room. “Time to celebrate, there are people who need rescuing!”

“It’s still daylight out, isn’t it a bit early for you?” 

Roman stopped outside his door and turned around. “I just have all this energy and I don’t know what to do with it all!”

“Perhaps we shall wait for the others and eat first? Virgil or I could go out with you to be safe like we have previously afterward.”

Begrudgingly, Roman agreed and started pacing, trying to kill off some spare energy he had built up to no avail. Logan tried drowning out his complaints over the noise of the faucet as he washed the dishes Roman refused to do and started dinner a bit early. Patton had come home and was excited to hear how the day went, Logan reassuring him that nothing went wrong and no one was hurt. When Virgil had returned home, he seemed just as tired as he had left, dragging his feet over to his chair and sitting down with a huff.

Roman walked over and stood behind him, placing a hand on his shoulders. “Rough day?”

“These new hires are the worst. Showing up late without calling and getting upset when they get in trouble for it. Then trying to give me a sob story like it isn’t their fault! I hate being in charge, I hate having to do extra work!”

Roman started rubbing Virgil’s shoulders as the other immediately relaxed. “If it’s too much work, ask to step down or pass along some of the extra load. You did it for my costume and it’s done now, they’ll understand.” Virgil hummed but made no further comment. “You don’t need to push yourself now that I have a job.”

Roman stopped as Virgil sat up and looked over his shoulder. “You actually found someone desperate enough?” Roman scoffed and pulled his hands away as Virgil chuckled to himself. “Hey, it worked with me, didn’t it?”

Logan had set the table and placed dinner down, the others giving their thanks and not minding at all about the earlier dinner after the long days they all had. Once they were finishing up, Logan perked up and cleared his throat, gaining their attention. “I was hoping I could discuss a discovery today I believe Thomas and I have made. We just need some confirmation.”

“Ohh, what is it?” Patton smiled and leaned onto the table eagerly.

“Well, when did these abilities take form for all of you? Was there something that caused it?”

The room grew quiet as they all exchanged glances. Roman was the first to look away and speak up. “I was about four, I was bored and alone since my parents were taking care of Julie since she was just a baby. I was playing make-believe and wanted to be the powerful sorcerer that stopped the evil dragon.” Roman frowned and hunched over on himself a bit. “I remember my mother coming in because she heard a noise. I didn’t realize what I was doing was wrong or harmful, but she has forgiven me. It was strange, I didn’t second guess what I was doing at all. I’m sure they were surprised to see me shooting bolts of lightning from my hands though.”

“I was a little older.” Virgil looked over at Roman as he spoke. “I don’t remember how old I was. Maybe seven? My mother had gotten sick and I didn’t get how serious it was until one day she started to collapse.” Roman watched back and gave an encouraging smile as he talked. “I sort of freaked out and just wanted it to stop. I didn’t want her to fall or get sick or get any worse…” Virgil shrugged and looked away. “I dunno, time was stopped after that and I was stuck like that for a while.”

Logan turned to Patton and their eyes met before he let out a sigh. “We moved a bit and I never had many friends or for very long. One day I just wanted someone to be there with me, then suddenly there were two of me. I think I was maybe six?”

Logan nodded and looked around the room. “My story is the same. I was a child trying to reach something they had placed up high so I would not get it. They would do that a lot since I didn’t grow until I was much older. Then it just came to me, floating across the room.” Logan paused before he grinned. “I think it all makes sense. Thomas theorized that our powers formed for us and not because of us. We unconsciously shaped them the way we wanted them to, not even knowing we had this ability in the first place.”

“Wait, so what about Thomas?” Virgil questioned. “He’s a nice guy. Unless he was the worst brat on the planet growing up, I don’t see his relating.”

“I’m sure you have a theory, brainiac, let’s hear it.” 

Logan shot Roman a glare as he spoke. “As a matter of fact, I do. I believe Thomas can also enhance and strengthen our abilities as well.”

“Oh, like a give and take.” Virgil nodded and stood up from the table. “Makes sense.”

“By the way, Virgil, I was hoping you could help me with something tonight?” Virgil picked up his plate and looked at Logan as he turned to the sink. “I believe I have made a system that keeps us in contact with Roman as he goes out. This way I can check to see if he’s walking into a trap and you can pull him out if he is. I hoped this would help soothe your anxieties as it would be easier than convincing Roman to stop until we came up with a more permanent solution.”

“I don’t need babysitting!” Roman watched as all three pairs of eyes landed on him. Standing from his seat, he shot them all glares as he walked to the sink and placed his dishes inside it before walking off. “I’m going to prepare myself to save people and be even more awesome, thank you!”

They shrugged off Roman as he stormed off and chuckled to themselves. Logan informed Virgil of a walkie-talkie system he had figured out, even leaving one with Patton so he could hear what the others were up to if they needed help. Roman wasn’t a fan but took one anyway as all three made it out the front door, Roman’s costume hiding in a bag he would change into elsewhere so he didn’t get caught in the act.

Patton was cleaning up the dishes when he heard the door open and made his way into the living room. “Roman! Did you forget something?”

The man perked up and smiled a bit, holding up a black book in his hands. “Yeah, I uh… I kind of took Logan’s diary thing and wanted to put it back so he wouldn’t be mad at me.”

Patton crossed his arms and gave a disappointed look. “Now Roman, you know taking something that isn’t yours is wrong.” Roman bowed his head and looked away. “Logan was looking for that earlier to update it with Thomas’ info! You should just admit you took it, lying is wrong.”

Having perked up a bit, Roman glanced back down at the book with a frown. “I’ll talk to him about it, but can I just put this back in his room?”

Patton gave in and sighed, nodding to his roommate who smiled and walked to the back of the apartment toward Logan’s bedroom. Patton waited a moment before following, peeking into Logan’s room and discovering Roman at the desk, holding a paper in his hands as he read it.

“Roman?” The man in question jumped and spun around, throwing the paperback and smiling. “You shouldn’t leave them waiting for you. There are people that need saving, Prince Charging! You should get going.”

Patton watched curiously as Roman’s eyes lit up and his jaw dropped. “Prince. Yes. Me! Right.” He looked down and grabbed the journal before looking around the room and placing it underneath the desk. “There! Now it looks like it just fell kind of…” Roman stood up and walked out of the room, edging away from Patton who watched him. “I’m off now, roomie! I shall return later! The Masked Prince is off!” Roman turned and raced toward the exit, waving goodbye to Patton as quickly as he could, leaving Patton watching on confused, closing Logan’s bedroom door in the process.


	8. Jinxed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: An average day for all the guys but… Logan gets a weird phone call at the bakery when working and… who is that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EPISODE 2 of the Lesson in Practicality animatic is up!! If you haven't seen it you really should! It's got voice actors and a theme song and it's so good!!!

Roman was very well aware why his body refused to let him sleep properly that night. His phone was tucked away and he had tossed and turned in his sheets for hours before resigning to his fate. It was the excitement or the anticipation he felt buzzing just beneath the surface. He watched the walls of his room start to grow brighter as the early morning birds had already begun their song.

Today was the last day he had before he started his new job tomorrow and saying he was nervous might be an understatement. What if he screwed up again? What if it didn’t last or he couldn’t do the job? Sighing deeply through his nose, Roman closed his eyes and tried to burrow his head farther into his pile of pillows, hugging another close to his chest.

Ultimately, Roman gave in. He pulled out his phone and prayed something had changed in the short few hours he had last checked to no avail. The dim screen stared back with the same lack of notifications as most of the world finally gave in to their own slumber. He pulled up something to watch to kill time before his head finally, and far too late, tilted back and he nodded off.

It wasn’t much later that he blinked, catching himself and waking up so suddenly he heard his own soft snoring noises. He groaned and pulled his pillow closer, burying his face as he moaned. Roman did not want to get up after the little sleep he managed to get, but sleeping further would mean he wouldn’t sleep tonight at all.

He sat up and swung his feet over the edge of his bed before he lost his nerve, knowing he would simply lay there for hours unmoving, drifting in and out of consciousness. Opening the bedroom door, he invited the sounds of life bustling in their apartment into his room and smiled at the sound of Logan and Virgil bickering with one another.

“It is perfectly safe, Virgil. I don’t see why you’re being so irrational about this.”

“Me? You’re jumping like five steps ahead! You have to make sure you take it one thing at a time so it’s perfect!”

“You speak as if I have never cooked before.”

“You’re a baker, Logan. Cooking is completely different.”

Roman entered the kitchen and stopped in the doorway. Virgil stood over the stove as he cooked and Logan stood to the side, mixing something in a bowl.

Logan huffed as he glared at the bowl. “Just because I am a baker doesn’t mean I am completely incompetent when it comes to cooking.”

“I know, but I’ve also have had your cooking before, Lo.” Roman watched as Virgil’s nose wrinkled at the thought and poked at the bacon he was frying up. “ You put too much focus on nutrition and not enough on taste. Besides, you came to me for the help, remember? Let’s just finish this before Ro wakes up.”

“Too late.” Roman looked around and headed for the coffee pot where it sat ready and waiting. “Good morning you two.”

“I take it you did not sleep adequately?” Logan commented as he looked up from the bowl. “You still look as if you need more rest.”

Roman hummed and brought the mug to his lips, smiling as he enjoyed the aroma and the warm feeling of the ceramic in his hands. “A bit anxious about tomorrow, I will admit, but just as excited!” He took a careful sip of the hot liquid and cringed as he didn’t bother to add anything to it. Coughing, Roman put the mug down as he grimaced. In his sleepy state, he hadn’t even bothered to add anything to the drink like he normally would. He headed for the fridge as the other two continued to cook. “So, late breakfast just for us? Is Patton still here?”

“No, he had work and left early this morning.” Virgil placed a few strips onto a plate, keeping his eyes on the pan. “Two and Three are here, though.”

“Three?” Roman perked up at the information. “He never leaves Three behind anymore I feel.”

Virgil shrugged and Logan put the bowl down, turning and facing Roman as he spoke. “Patton felt the need to let him out and try to relax since it has been a while. He’s been more reserved since the incident in the alley.”

Roman winced and grabbed his mug, adding his usual mix of things to his coffee to sweeten it and make it drinkable. “Right. I would be partly responsible.”

“Nonsense, your actions saved his life I have been told. There is no reason to feel guilty.” Logan handed the bowl to Virgil who started pouring some onto a heated pan. “Perhaps some bonding with Three to ease your apprehensions and to help normalize things?”

Roman opened his mouth to speak before he froze. “That’s actually a great idea!” He smiled and perked up. “I have been wanting to take Patton to the theater! He’s asked me about it, this would be perfect!”

A noise rang out and Logan turned, reaching over to the end of the counter and picking up his phone. He tapped at the screen and held up to his ear, turning away from the others. “Hello, this is Logan.” There was a moment of pause as Logan turned back around and looked over at Virgil. “Of course, I can be there in an hour. Of course. Yes, see you soon…” Logan ducked his head and turned away. “Love you too.”

“Aww, was that Patton?” Roman smirked, hiding it behind his mug of coffee.

“What? No!” Logan managed to put his phone away as his face was painted red. “That was my uncle, they need help down at the bakery. They got a big order for tomorrow so they’re going to need another set of hands to help. Sorry, Virgil, I’ll have to cut my lesson a bit short.”

Virgil shrugged and flipped the pancake before turning and smiling. “No problem. I have to start cleaning up and getting ready for work myself soon anyway.”

“Is this a secret thing? Because I can get Two and Three out here to help while I go ask Three about a little adventure.”

“Knock yourself out.” Roman smiled at Virgil as he kept his complete focus on the stove before turning to head to Patton’s room. He leaned in and listened, hearing idle chatter, before knocking on the door. “Two? Three? You in there?”

It was silent before the padding of feet rushed the door. It flew backward and Patton stood there, a smile on his face. “Roman!”

“Well good morning!” Roman paused and looked into the room, spotting the other copy in the back, smiling but keeping his distance. He looked back to the one in front of him. “Two?”

“Yes! Very good guess!”

Roman smiled and glanced up at Three in the back. “Well, Logan and Virgil made a late breakfast but Logan was called into work. I figured we could sit and eat then clean up so Virge wasn’t running late?”

“Oh, sure!” Two turned to the back of the room. “You ok, Three?”

“Yeah! It smells great.” Roman stepped out of the way and motioned for Two to walk by and turned and smiled at Three. The copy walked up and watched Roman carefully. “You okay?”

“I was hoping you would join me on an excursion to the theater today, Three! I hardly get to see you compared to Two and I’ve been wanting to show Patton the theater since before everything happened back at the old place.”

Three blinked and perked up, his eyes shining brightly as he smiled. “Really? Oh wow, I would love to!” He turned and jogged out of the room, heading for the kitchen. “Thank you, Roman!”

Virgil quickly ate his breakfast, the two Patton Pals assuring him they could clean up and save the rest. Virgil thanked them both and quickly got ready for work, stopping and waving goodbye to the three before he walked out and left, closing the door behind him. He stopped and waited a moment before turning around and inspecting the small porch. His eyes glanced around before he squinted, pulling up his hood and shoving his hands in his pockets, ignoring the shiver the brisk chill of the air brought down his spine.

\---

Once Logan entered the bakery, he could visibly see his uncle relax and breathe out a sigh of relief. He smiled and waved at his uncle before ducking into the back and heading straight for the hook holding his apron. As he tied it around his back, he turned and watched his aunt as she seemed to be hyper-focused on her work. He carefully walked around the room and washed his hands before slowly walking up beside her, reading the piece of paper that held her handwriting. It was the order form sheet for some of their bigger orders and he quickly skimmed it before turning back to her.

She was in the process of cleaning her work area and throwing down a few cupcake trays before adding parchment paper liners. She turned and jumped, blinking up at her nephew who was standing there silently. “I apologize, auntie. I was simply trying to figure out where you were in the order.”

Auntie Em grasped her chest and shook her head, trying to calm her heart. “Sweet Mary Joseph! Logan, you startled me!” He turned and pointed to the sheet. “I just got about done with the cupcake order but they’ll need to be cooled and frosted, then we need to make the main cake. Would you work on this so I can make the baked goods for the shop for tomorrow?”

Logan nodded and began to work on the rest of the cupcakes while his aunt moved to the other half of the kitchen. He checked the ovens before diving right into the workload that lay before him.

It was steady for a while, his uncle usually kept out of the kitchen most days. Otherwise, he would be kicked out. He never got the hang of baking but did try to sneak in a few snacks when he could. The kitchen was always Auntie Em’s territory and Uncle Murphey knew that all too well. The phone rang and Logan looked across to his aunt who was kneading some dough, her hands covered in flour. She looked up and nodded to him with a smile before continuing her work.

Logan turned and walked to the phone to answer it before he was stopped. “Don’t forget to say the thing, Logan!” He paused to sigh at his aunt with his hand on the phone before finally answering it.

“Auntie Em’s Bakery. How may we ‘bake’ your day?” Logan frowned and glared at his aunt who chuckled at him from across the room.

“Yes, hi. Is Emilia there?”

Logan blinked and frowned before turning to look at his aunt once more. She was focused on her work that layout before her, her workstation a complete mess for how well maintained it usually is. “Unfortunately she is a bit preoccupied. Is there anything I can help with? Would you like to leave a message?” The line on the other side grew quiet before there was a ruffling sound as someone perhaps muffled the speaker on their end. The noise continued before it grew completely silent once more and Logan waited a moment before speaking up. “Hello?”

“Logan?”

“Yes, who is this?” The line immediately went dead and Logan pulled away, looking at the phone in confusion before hanging it back up on the wall. He furrowed his brow as he through for a moment before turning back to his table, getting lost in his work.

It was after his aunt had finished the loaves of bread she was working on that she walked over to the phone and checked for messages. “Logan?” She turned and watched him as he didn’t look up from the phone. “Who was that who called?”

“A prank call, perhaps. They hung up on me after they had asked for you.” Logan looked up at his aunt curiously. “Were you expecting a call?”

“No.” He frowned and turned to the blank notepad. “You didn’t give out your name like I asked, right?”

A ridiculous rule that made no sense to him but he never questioned his aunt. “No, I-” he paused as he looked up at her. “I didn’t but they knew my name.”

Logan had never seen his aunt turn from calm to so angered in such a short span of time. She turned and marched out of the room, throwing the door to the main dining area open as she bulldozed passed. Logan froze and stood there a moment before she opened the door once more, peeking her head in. “You are to not leave the kitchen until I say, is that clear?” He nodded and his aunt ducked back away into the main area, leaving her work unattended. He looked over his shoulder and looked back, confused as to what could have caused her such a shift in behavior.

He decided that leaving her work would be fine as the dough needed to rise overnight before they baked it early the next morning. He dived back into his work but shifted his gaze up every time he heard a noise come from the other side of the door.

Finally, he finished the cupcake order and had the cake placed into the oven to bake. He took a step back and sighed in relief at the slight mess that was left behind. Flour could always seem to get in the most unlikely of places, no matter how careful you were. He spent a decent amount of time piping the icing on them as well but years of practice had led them looking almost perfectly identical.

A loud bang caused him to look at the door keeping him from the storefront before frowning. He couldn’t leave the kitchen but he could check and make sure everything was okay before moving on, at least. His aunt could yell at him later.

Carefully pushing open the door, Logan found his uncle standing behind the counter, his hand on auntie’s shoulder. She was leaning forward on the counter, her hands holding her up as she spoke quietly but firmly to the customers in front of her. He deduced the noise could have been caused by her slamming her hands on the counter but waited a moment to be safe. He couldn’t make out anything that was being said as they kept their voices down before Uncle Murphey took a step out of the way to walk around the counter. He motioned to the door but everyone froze as Logan took a sharp intake of air, grabbed their attention.

The two customers turned and smiled over at him as Logan opened the door a bit further but not stepping out. The middle-aged woman and her husband smiled and tried to take a step closer, stopping at the counter that blocked their way. “Logan!” The woman cried out, smiling over at him.

He felt as if his tongue swelled up and air was a limited supply as he stared at the couple before him. “Mother?” She smiled as his father took a step closer. “Father, I-”

Auntie Em took a step to the side and blocked them from his view. “I said get out of my store.” Logan watched his aunt stand in defense of him. “Get out. Now.”

\------

Roman could pull Three along with him fast enough until they reached the theater. He told tales and stories from his time on the stage, performing minor roles and major ones, helping out and mishaps that had happened. He even bashfully admitted that he tended to lose props often enough that someone had to hand him his and keep them away from him at any cost.

Once they arrived, he grabbed Three’s arm and carefully tugged him along the back to the stage door. Three looked around as they squeezed through the dimly lit hallways, careful to not bump anything temporarily placed against the walls. The ‘secret entrance’ as he had called it was far more interesting than any front door. Roman smirked and brought him through the slight maze that was backstage until they made it to a cramped area full of props and costumes on shelves and pushed to the side, ready for use in any of the current shows.

Roman slowly brought him around the sides before stepping passed a wooden set, bringing Three along with him as they squeezed by. Then suddenly, they were on the center stage, most of the lights shut off except for a few that lit up the stage and the ambiance that kept the rest of the room glowing. Three gasped as Roman let go, letting his excitement bring him to the front of the stage as he looked out to the seats before him. “Oh, wow! Roman this is amazing!” He spun around and giggled as he took it all in. “This is so cool! This is where you perform?” He stopped and looked around, finding himself alone on center stage. “Roman?”

The spotlight above the stage slowly lit up and stopped moments before Roman came running back out on stage. “Well? What do you think?” He stretched out his arms and spun around, motioning to the entire room around them.

“It’s magnificent, oh my gosh it’s so different seeing it from this side!” Three seemed completely at ease much to Roman’s relief.

“Well, how about I show you the dressing rooms and then maybe we can act out a few things on stage before the others show up for practice later tonight?”

\---

Two was enjoying simply laying on the living room floor and existing. Doing things was exhausting and Virgil was right. Sometimes taking the time to relax and simply be was all you really needed to ease the weight of the world from your shoulders.

Okay, so perhaps Patton spent a little too much time talking to Virgil for him to be having these thoughts but it worked! He sighed in content as he shifted, his back creaking as he moved. A thumping was heard from his upstairs neighbor but Two couldn’t even be bothered to worry about Leslie making noises.

He heard her walk down the creaky stairway to her front door and walk across the porch. When a knock was heard coming from his door, Two blinked before slowly pushing himself up off of the carpet. He waited until he heard the knock once more before getting up and dusting himself off, opening the front door to reveal a nervous neighbor.

“Leslie! What can I do for you today?”

“Oh, Patton! I was certain no one was home but I had to try.” She fussed with a bracelet she was wearing as she looked at him apprehensively. “I know this is a long shot but I figured you might know someone I can talk to about something?” Two tilted his head in confusion as she spoke, causing her to jump in panic. “I mean, not that you would simply know because you’re gay but I figured if I was to figure this out it would be best to go to someone who could point me in the right direction. I tried reading about it online but I just got more confused so I just need to go to someone for help, get it?”

Two waited a moment to make sure she was done speaking before he nodded. “I think I get it? But, Leslie, I’m not gay.” Her panic only seemed to grow as she took in the new information. “I mean, I am. I’m dating Logan. Technically I’m pansexual which means I like people, regardless of gender identity.”

“Oh gosh there’s a ‘P’ now? I didn’t know that!” She ran her hands through her hair as she panicked. “Oh gosh, I’m so lost.”

“Just to be clear.” She looked up at Two as he smiled. “We’re talking about the LGBT plus community, correct?”

She nodded as she frowned at his wording. “Plus. There’s a plus? How much more is there?”

Two held up a finger as he turned and looked back into the apartment. “Would you like to come inside so we can talk about this?”

Shaking her head immediately, Two frowned at her panicked response. “No! No that’s okay. Perhaps we can get coffee somewhere and talk about it? I’d very much appreciate it. Just not here.”

“Of course. Let me just get my keys and leave a note while I’m out. I’d love to help!”

\---

Logan watched his parents as they bickered with his aunt and uncle. They were trying their best to not cause a scene but it had gained the attention of the entire bakery. His aunt kept telling them to leave while his parents looked over at him longingly and trying to get him to speak. Was that who was on the phone? He hadn’t seen his parents in almost ten years, their voices only echoes from his memories, distorted by time. Why were they here? Why did they even want to talk to him? They hadn’t wanted to for the last ten years!

… had they?

Taking a careful step forward, the door creaked as it swung shut, the noise causing the commotion to stop. He couldn’t stop looking at his parents, their panicked looks not lessening at all as they watched him as if he was about to turn into a monster. Or perhaps they did remember a little bit of their past.

Licking his lips, Logan took a moment to gather himself as his family stood before him, waiting for him to speak. He looked at his mother, their eyes locking together before he found the courage to speak. “Janice. William.” He nodded to them respectively and tucked his hands behind his back, hoping to show confidence and hide the shakiness of his hands. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

His mother’s face fell as his father reached over to her, soothing her back with small circular rubs. He leaned down and whispered soft encouragements to her as Logan frowned, turning away. His parents hadn’t changed at all after all this time. They were just as loving to one another as he remembered.

“Son, we’ve just come to talk.” His father spoke as his mother nodded, her long, straightened black hair had not been dyed recently. Silver strands blended in with her natural locks and her face had hardly aged much over the years. His father had aged far more than she had at first glance. His eyes were more sunken in than he remembered and his hair was completely peppered at this point.

Logan blinked and realized they were all staring at him, waiting for a response. “What?”

His father sighed as his mother spoke up. “We’ve been trying to find a way to get in touch with you for a while now.” She turned and shot Emilia a glare. “My sister kept you from us.”

“He wasn't ready. He still isn’t.” His aunt turned and smiled up at him. “Go back to the kitchen, Loganberry. I’ll be there in just a moment.”

He looked at his aunt then back at his parents before he rolled his shoulders, realizing just how tense he was. “Talk to me about what?” He saw his aunt frown while his mother smiled brightly at him. Just seeing it sent a jab of guilt through his gut.

“We want to talk about what happened, Logan. We want to be your parents.” Logan locked his jaw in place as she smiled. “Sure, we don’t remember, but we want to give it a shot. We know you’re fully grown now, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t still your parents.”

It was almost as if all the lights dimmed or the oxygen was removed from the room. He felt a moment of dizzying weightlessness that quickly passed. He looked around, making sure he wasn’t accidentally causing anything to move or spin with his abilities before looking back at his parents. He looked and noticed most people had left in their quiet discussions, the few left were far across the room and giving them privacy. “You still don’t remember me.” It wasn’t a question, Logan was still very aware of his actions that caused all of this when he was sixteen. He shook his head and looked down to his feet. “I’m not ready to talk yet.” He could feel the tension lessen in the room as he spoke. “Not yet. But I will.” He glanced back up at his parents and then his aunt and uncle. “Soon. I think I can bring them back. Maybe not completely, but I have something that may work if you’re willing to let me try.”

He just needed to figure this out. He just needed to talk to Thomas.

\---

“Halt, fiend! Let the princess go!” Roman held a foam sword and a plastic crown on his head, pointing it at the Patton Pal as he spoke. “Face me in combat and stop hiding behind your minions!”

Three spun around, flicking the cape he was wearing out as he did. “You fool. Now that you are here, you have fallen into my trap!” He clenched a fist in front of his face as he smiled. “Now my plans shall come to fruition and you will never save your precious princess!”

“I will stop you one way or another, you villain!”

Patton threw back his head as he let out an evil cackle, Roman almost dropping character as he watched on impressed. “I’d like to see you try and stop me, so-called hero!”

“Are you sure you don’t want to work here with me, Patton?” Roman lowered his sword and smiled at his roommate. “You’re actually quite talented!”

“Aww!” Three placed his hands on his cheeks as he flushed at the compliment. “Thanks, Ro! That means so much coming from you!” He curtsied with the cape before grabbing one end and wrapping it back around him. “Now! Try and stop me, hero! I still have one more trick up my sleeve!”

Roman jumped right back into the scene and held up his sword. “And what is that, monster?”

“That I’m a witch!” Patton smirked over his cape as Roman gasped dramatically. “I’m not just any witch, however!”

“No.” Roman staggered back as he almost dropped his sword. “No, it can not be! You can’t!”

“I can!” Patton threw his cape out dramatically once more. “I am a dragon witch! I dare you to try and slay me now, hero!”

“You are truly a monster!” Roman took a step forward as his voice wavered. “However, I will not back down from you!” He pointed at Three once more with his foam sword. “Have at thee, dragon witch! I will slay you this day!”

\---

Logan couldn’t arrive home fast enough. He frowned when he noticed the front door was locked because he knew Two should have been home but dug out his key anyway. He flicked the light on in the living room as the day turned to evening and the sun began to set, painting the sky an arrange of colors. Walking in, he noticed a piece of paper on the coffee table and leaned down to pick it up.

“Guys. Went out with Leslie for a bit. Will be home later. Love, Two.” Logan frowned and re-read the short note once more. “Leslie?”

The front door opened and the quiet was broken by the sound of a sigh as Virgil trudged his way into the apartment. “I hate people. He walked over to the couch and did not hesitate to face plant, not slowing down to catch himself. He let out a groan as he connected with the couch but didn’t bother to move.

“I do not understand why you took this job if it is everything you hate.”

Virgil lifted his face and blew a strand of hair away from his face, only for it to fall back in the same exact spot. “Money.”

“Ahh, the crux of the world’s problems.” Logan held out the note to Virgil. “You know anything about this?”

Virgil glanced at the note and shook his head before falling back into the couch. “Who is that anyway?”

“Our neighbor, Virgil. I know you haven’t met her yet but we have told you about her.”

Virgil flipped over on the couch and stared at the ceiling. “Which neighbor? The one who lives upstairs?”

“Yes, that neighbor.”

“Does she live alone? Because there’s someone up there.”

Logan went to make a retort before he stopped, hearing the sound of footsteps above them. “I’m not actually sure.”

“So what did she want with Pat?” Virgil looked at Logan who kept his attention on the ceiling. “Lo?”

“Hmm?” He looked back down and realized he had been staring. “Oh, my apologies. It seems I hadn’t noticed the presence of someone else.”

It wasn’t much later that Roman and Three arrived back home. Three was chattering away happily and more than anyone had seen in quite some time from that particular pal. Logan smiled watching the Patton recall the stories of the short scene they played out on the stage. Three was retelling his defeat at the hands of the prince, only to reveal he was the princess in disguise all along! He faked his own kidnapping to escape his tyrant father before sending rumors that he was being held captive by a dragon.

Amidst the reenactment, Patton arrived back home and watched the end of the show, applauding as Roman and Three bowed hand in hand. Three smiled and thanked Roman before reaching over to Patton and disappearing in a flash. He smiled and walked over to Logan and saw the note, frowning but keeping quiet about it.

Logan and Patton stayed out of the kitchen as Roman and Virgil took their turn to cook dinner. They were happy to say they had finally passed the pizza for dinner stage as they prepared a chicken dinner for the fearsome four.

Just before dinner was served, Two walked in, waving out the front door as he backed in. “Just come to me if you have any more questions, Les! Alright, good night!” He shut the door and turned, smiling as he saw Patton standing up from the couch. “Pat!” Two ran over and smiled. “You’ll never guess what!” He reached out and disappeared in a bright flash as well, leaving Patton to stand in the middle of the living room rather confused. He blinked and processed the memories he was gaining back from the day, sifting through all the new bits of information. “Oh.” Patton smiled and perked up excitedly. “Oh!”

“Dinner’s ready!” Patton turned and smiled at Logan before racing to the kitchen table. Once he sat down, Roman smiled at him. “So, you pull yourself back together, Pat?” The copycat nodded as he smiled, eyeing to food on the table. “Everything go okay today with everything going on?”

“Oh, yeah! Leslie had some questions about sexuality and stuff, she was so confused and Two helped her out! Isn’t that sweet?”

Logan looked up at Roman from his seat before turning back to his boyfriend. “Sexuality? Like what?”

Patton shrugged as he smiled, serving himself a plate of asparagus. “You know, general questions people usually have. Isn’t that wonderful?”

“It could have been a trap!” Roman cried out, causing Patton to stop and look at him a bit concerned. “Are you okay?”

“A trap from what? Leslie doesn’t know what we can do.” Patton frowned down at his plate. “Besides, I don’t think she was asking for her. It sounded more like she was asking to understand someone else.”

“Like who?”

Patton shrugged and stared at his dinner plate. “I’m not sure but I have a guess.” He picked up his fork and stabbed the small pile of veggies on his plate. “I don’t think there’s anything to worry about, though.”

\---

When Logan was a teen, he was literally the worst. His parents were too loving, too kind, too forgiving... and way too accepting of everything Logan was.

'As long as you tried your best, Logan!'

'It's okay. You're still trying to figure out those powers. We forgive you.'

'No matter what, we love you, son.'

‘Perhaps trying to understand these abilities will be helpful?’

As he grew older and his powers only became more powerful, they encouraged him to learn to keep them in control as long as he didn't use them on others. Well, that's how it was at first anyway. When Logan was coming home with suspicious things he couldn't pay for and claimed he never stole anything, they kept making sure he was at least following their rules. No using your ability on others without permission.

Quickly, Logan learned that the punishment for breaking that rule was next to nothing as he simply told his parents he would 'try harder next time'. Every time, they forgave him, believing he would strive to be better as he continued on his path of self-destruction.

Logan was convincing teachers to simply give him a better grade or telling bullies to pick on one another if they tried to mess with him. Everyone began to assume he was just not worth the trouble, the toughest guy in school until someone got the guts to challenge him. Logan never had to lift a finger as his eyes flashed a striking, bright blue.

When he turned sixteen, he pretty much told his parents what he was doing besides simply asking them. It didn't matter anyway, who was going to stop him? Logan literally held the world in his hands. His eyes quickly flashed gold as the front door unlocked and opened before him. "I'm going out. I'll be back whenever."

"Now hold on just one minute." Logan groaned and looked over at his father as he stood up off the couch. "It's late and a school night. You're not going anywhere."

Logan crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. "Oh yeah?"

"Logan, honey." His mother walked into the room and Logan got an eerie sense of dread wash over him. "We need to talk."

"Can't this wait? I have stuff to do."

"No, you don't." His father pointed to the couch. "We need to sit and have a discussion about your behaviors. You've been bossing us around for weeks and it's gotten out of control."

He scoffed and sneered at his father. "Never was a problem before. Can I go?"

His mother stepped closer as she spoke. "No. It's not safe for you to leave so late. You're staying inside tonight."

His eyes started to glow gold for a moment. "Oh really?" They began to shift to their brighter blue, threatening to cause more chaos. "Or what?"

"We are your parents! You walk out that door and you're grounded." His father spoke with a firm tone. "Understood?"

"And no powers! We said no using abilities on others!"

"Oh like they'd remember. I can do what I want and no one would know better!" Logan laughed as he threw his arms out. "It works. Hasn't stopped me before."

"Listen-"

"No, you listen!" Logan stomped his foot, much like a child throwing a temper tantrum. "You can't suddenly decide it's been too much and start parenting now. You let me do whatever, told me to get better and better and I did!"

"Yes but you have to stop this nonsense!"

"So, what? You're going to keep tabs on me forever now?" Logan huffed and ran a hand through his emo haircut. "You guys are so lame! Just let me keep doing whatever, what's the harm?"

"People are getting hurt, Logan!"

"So? Who cares? I don't! Why does this matter now? Why me?" He stomped his foot in his anger. "You forget I'm here half the time anyway!"

"That's not true, you're always sneaking out! It needs to stop."

"Oh yeah well how about you just forget about me completely then and let me live my life!" Logan huffed and watched his parents frozen in place. "Finally got you two to listen! Look, I get it. You love me. You want me to be the best me I can be. I'm not going to just stay inside trapped when..." He frowned as his parents didn't move from where they stood. "Guys?"

He leaned in closer and noticed the pale blue shine of their eyes and he took a step back in panic. "Oh no. No no no, what did I do? No, don't panic." Logan's breathing grew erratic as he spoke to himself. "I can fix this, it's just as simple as doing the reverse of what I always do, right?" His eyes turned blue as they glowed every time he altered someone's mind. "Right? Just turn back. Everything will be normal! I won't even go out, I can wait until tomorrow."

\---

"Who are you?"

"Thief!"

"Get out of our house!"

"Son? We don't have any children!"

"I think a mother would remember her own child!"

\---

"H-hey, uncle Murphey. I know it's late. No, I’m fine. I promise. Can I stay with you and, ah, auntie Em for a little while?"


	9. Languages

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Relationships are hard, but it’s all a matter of listening to one another and talking things out. This chapter is NOT as boring as it sounds… I hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nightmares, over-worrying, cursing

The sky was blanketed gray on an overcast afternoon in the city. Virgil stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and perked up when he saw the man in front of him standing, almost as if waiting for him. With a smile, he raised his arm and waved at the other who stared back and started to smile. “Thomas!” Virgil walked closer, noticing the busy street seemed a bit less busy for this time of day. “Surprised to see you on this side of town. You visiting Logan again?”

“You could say that.” Virgil blinked and furrowed his brow before looking around. It was silent. Completely still as no one, not even the sound of traffic buzzed nearby. The street was empty and the clouds overhead must have blocked out the sun as they grew darker. “It’s good to see you again, Virgil.” 

Turning back, Virgil jumped as Thomas reached out and grabbed his arm. “Hey! What’s wrong with you, man? Let go!”

“Oh, now why would I do that?” Thomas’ hand gripped tighter and Virgil winced at the sudden pain. “After spending all this time looking for you, Virgil, why would I let you go now?”

Virgil tugged at the vice grip but didn’t see a way out. “The hell are you talking about?”

Virgil froze as the sudden quiet was broken by white noise. He looked at Thomas as the man smiled a bit too wide, the pricking noise of static growing in intensity. He chuckled as little wisps of blackened smoke escaped his mouth and Virgil jumped back, grabbing the man’s arm and tugging on it desperately. The more he tried pushing him away, the louder Thomas seemed to laugh. The smoke only grew and surrounded both of them and Virgil shut his eyes in his panic, willing himself to break free. Of the grip, of time, whatever it took to get away. The sound of static grew louder and louder and louder…

With a gasp, he shot up and gripped his chest, his heart pounding so loud he almost didn’t notice the sound of static in the room. He felt sweaty and gross but cold at the same time as a shiver made the hair on his arms stand on end. He looked around frantic and saw the television staring back at him, the white noise coming from the speakers. Virgil surveyed the room and found himself on the couch, Roman passed out just next to him and groaning as he moved his arms in his sleep as if searching for something. Virgil looked around and grabbed a pillow, placing it where he was as he stood up. Roman groaned and pulled it close, burying his face in it and sighing as he drifted off back to sleep.

They were watching a movie. Roman was nervous about starting his new job so they sat down to watch a movie after dinner and must have fallen asleep on the couch. It must have ended and the tv started making the noise that caused Virgil’s nightmare.

He slowly backed out of the room and into his own, pacing back and forth with the rush of adrenaline that had shot through him. Once his mind calmed enough to start to think properly, he slowed down and took a deep breath. He shouldn’t be alone right now but he knew climbing back on the couch would wake up Roman. Logan was eager to get to his room after dinner, talking about figuring something out before he went to sleep, and he wasn’t eager to wake up Patton just to have someone to talk to.

He snuck back out into the living room and froze seeing a figure standing, facing the tv. They held up the remote and shut it off before looking at him and smiling. “Hey.” He whispered, placing the remote down slowly. “You okay?”

“Why are you up, Pat?” Virgil slowly walked over and Patton nudged his head to his room. Virgil nodded and followed as Patton led them away from the sleeping Roman on the couch. Virgil slowly clicked the bedroom door shut and watched as Patton let out a big sigh. “You okay?”

“Just a nightmare.” He rubbed his arms as if he were cold before sitting on his bed, staring out his big window. “The noise from the tv didn’t help.”

Virgil had a moment of realization as he slowly took a few steps closer. “What was your nightmare about?” Patton shook his head and Virgil carefully sat next to him. “Mine was about that creature. He had come back again.” Patton froze and his head turned to watch Virgil, his eyes wide in shock. It was then that Virgil realized he wasn’t wearing his glasses. “It had gotten to Thomas and he grabbed me and the noise got louder and I couldn’t get away…” Virgil licked his lips and looked away, ducking his head in embarrassment. “I guess the movie got to me.”

“What… what were you watching?” Virgil smirked at Patton’s quiet, careful tone.

“Anastasia. We only had it on VHS and I guess Roman brought it with him since I lost my DVD player and he lost all his Disney movies in the fire. Must have hit the end of the tape.” He looked at Patton and bit his lip before swallowing his pride. “Uh, Pat?” His roommate looked up at him silently. Virgil held his arms up slowly as Patton blinked at him. “Do you, uh… need a hug? Or, like, do you mind if I give you one?”

Patton smiled and launched headfirst into the hug with no hesitation, causing Virgil to let out a soft ‘oof’. He smiled and pulled his best friend in closer as they sat there for a moment. “Virgil?” Patton whispered, pulling away a little bit to speak. “I had a nightmare about it too. My door was cracked open and I heard I guess. I know you didn’t mean to but I felt your panic and I had a nightmare and it was back and…”

Virgil shushed Patton and pulled him back into the hug. “That’s fine, Pat. I get it. It’s gone, don’t worry.”

As they sat in silence, Patton slowly ran his hand up and down Virgil’s back before slowly pulling away. “We should get back to sleep.” He scooted back on his bed and smiled, wrapping himself with his blanket. “We all have work in the morning and you are going to need your rest!”

“Of course,” Pushing off of his bed, he felt a wave of calmness hit him and turned to smile at Patton. “Thanks, Pat. Good night.”

\---

Roman blinked awake and groaned before throwing his arm over his eyes. His back ached and he felt heavy while the room was completely dark. Was he even in his bed? No… No, he was on the couch with Virgil watching a movie and then…

He jumped in shock and looked around, not finding his boyfriend anywhere. Roman pushed himself up and groaned softly before blinking and looking at the VCR, seeing the digital 12:00 blinking back at him. He spotted his phone on the coffee table and grabbed it, closing his eyes as he turned it on. The battery immediately started charging while in his hand naturally as Roman blinked to adjust to the sudden light. The screen wasn’t too bright but he still had to squint, catching the time a bit after 3 am.

He stood up slowly for the couch and looked around before sneaking over to Virgil’s room. He peeked the door open and stared over at the pile of blankets at the bed. It was too dark to see but Roman let out a sigh once he saw something move before slowly backing out of the room to let Virgil sleep. Roman made it to his own bed and plugged in his phone so it stayed on long enough to be his alarm in a few hours before snuggling into his sheets. 

When his phone started buzzing a few hours later, Roman whined and smacked in the general area of the noise. He opened his eyes and stared at the numbers before forcing himself up and out of bed. He ran a hand through his hair and felt it sticking up in a million directions. It was far, far too early than necessary but he wanted to look at his best for his first day. 

Roman had managed to get showered and dressed before he even heard anyone else bother to even get out of bed. He walked out of his room buttoning up his shirt and his hair slicked back and still wet from the shower, not wanting to use a hair dryer so early in the morning. He spotted Virgil in the kitchen first, staring at the coffee machine as he made a fresh pot, still half asleep on his feet.

“Good morning.” Virgil groaned and closed his eyes, leaning against the counter to keep himself upright. “I see you moved off of the couch last night. You sleep okay?” Virgil shrugged and didn’t open his eyes, causing Roman to frown. “I’ll take that as a no. Everything alright?”

Virgil finally looked over at him and blinked the sleep from his eyes. “Yeah, sorry. Didn’t want to wake you last night.” Virgil reached out and grabbed Roman’s arm before stepping forward, resting his head on Roman’s chest and leaning on him for support. Roman reflexively brought up his arms around Virgil and chuckled. Virgil simply shushed him as they stood there in silence for a bit before Roman pointed out that the coffee was done. Virgil stood there for a moment before sighing and pushing away, turning to the cupboard to pull out a mug. “So, the first day huh?”

“Yeah, I’m a bit nervous so I got ready faster than I expected.” As Virgil poured coffee into his mug, Roman shifted the weight on his feet. “Maybe I can make us a quick breakfast before we have to go?”

“Nah, there’s this place right next door I like to grab a quick bite from. Thanks, though.” 

Roman adjusted the cuffs of his shirt as he looked away. “Oh, well, the offices aren’t too far from the store! Maybe I can stop by on my lunch? I can make you something.”

“Probably not a good idea,” Virgil ducked into the fridge and missed Roman’s dejected look, causing him to bite his lip as Virgil continued to speak. “I’m going to be stuck with inventory all day. Won’t really have time to stop.”

“Maybe we can have dinner after?” Roman shrugged and shifted weight on his feet before glancing away. “You know, to celebrate my first day or something? I can pay!”

“I’ll be too tired, Princey. We can just do a quiet night in.” Virgil turned around with his mug and walked by, patting Roman’s arm as he did. “Don’t look so upset. I know you’re nervous but you’ll do great, okay?” Roman smiled as Virgil walked out and to his room with his mug of coffee before sighing once more. 

Deciding to head out extra early, Roman said a quick goodbye before ducking out of the house.

It wasn’t until Virgil was almost halfway out the door, heading into work earlier than necessary as he usually did, that Patton made an appearance. Virgil hadn’t realized he was there at first, staring down at his phone and nervously biting his lip, his thumb hovering over it as if it would bite him if he dared touch it.

“Hey, Virgil!” His roommate quickly looked up and nearly dropped his phone in his surprise. “Woah, sorry! Didn’t mean to scare you!”

“No, you’re good.” Virgil glanced down at his phone before pressing on the screen and almost throwing it on the counter. “Just wishing Roman a good first day. Looked like something was bothering him this morning but I was still dead on my feet.”

“He’ll do great! I just know it!” Patton rubbed his hands up and down his arms as he made his way to the fridge. “It’s all this nervous energy in the air between all of us. We need to just relax a bit!”

A hum of agreement was all Patton got as an answer before he pulled out a carton of eggs from the fridge. “Hey, does Logan work today? He’s usually up by now.”

Patton turned and saw Virgil looking toward the other end of the apartment where Logan’s room resided. “No, and he went to bed early last night. I mean, I hope it was to go to bed. He didn’t say much.” Virgil glanced back at his roommate and their eyes met for a brief moment. “I’m sure he’s fine! I have to get ready for work but I’ll talk to him tonight.”

\---

When Patton got to work, he felt a bit more relaxed then he had at home. The change of scenery and lack of nervous energy he kept feeling from his roommates put him much more at ease. He waved to the librarian and got straight to work, logging in on his computer. As it loaded his email for the day, Patton took a moment to take a deep breath and enjoy the calm air around him. He had always felt the anxiousness from Virgil, but Roman was a newer addition with his new job. On top of that, he could feel a faint nervousness from someone else, probably Logan. However, after his long, restless night, he wasn’t in the mood to paint on a smile and help someone with their problems. He didn’t even leave Two at home today, wanting to simply be himself and not deal with the head rush he always had when parts of him merged back together, their memories colliding into one. 

He started getting texts from Roman about noon which was rather peculiar. After his phone went off for the third time in a conversation with a customer, he decided to duck away to the side and call his friend instead of reading the flurry of texts he was receiving. 

The phone only rang twice before Roman picked up. “Patton! Sorry, was I texting too much? I was, wasn’t I?”

“Roman, calm down. What’s wrong?” Roman sighed on the other end. “First day that bad?”

“No, actually. It’s rather pleasant. Everyone’s nice so far and I definitely am a bit overqualified so no harm in that. Just… I’m overthinking this probably but…”

“Ro, just tell me what’s up. Can’t help you if you don’t talk and I can hear you spiraling.”

The phone was silent for a moment before Roman whispered into the other end. “I don’t know if Virgil and I were really ready for this dating thing. How do you and Logan do it?”

Patton perked up and looked around before walking into the back room. “What are you talking about? You two are doing great! You were snuggling on the couch last night!”

“I know, but… Like, he doesn’t want me showing up to his job, he doesn’t let me simply buy him flowers or do anything romantic… Besides cuddling he doesn’t want anything to do with me! Am I doing something wrong?”

Patton gave a small sad smile before chuckling a bit. “Roman, that’s just how Virgil is. You have to see the little things he does. You would write a whole musical about your feelings for him, but that’s not what he wants! You have to think about the things Virgil likes.”

“You’re right, I know you’re right. Quiet nights in and small little things are better. He doesn’t want me buying a bouquet of roses but… perhaps a single rose would be more his style? Maybe? Is that still too much?”

“Calm down, Roman. Deep breaths. That sounds perfect for Virgil. Just take things slow.”

“I don’t want to screw this up, Pat. It’s all I can think about today. I offered to bring him a lunch or to go out and just hang and he shot all my ideas down. Those aren’t too crazy, right?”

Patton frowned and bit his lip. “It sounds like you need to talk to him about how you feel, Ro. That’s all you really can do.”

“Yeah… Sorry, I didn’t mean to bug you at work. I’m just sitting here, eating this bagel. Well, picking apart this bagel at this point.”

“Roman, you better eat something or I’ll give you a stern talking to when I get home!” He heard Roman scoff over the phone. “Then I’ll tell Virgil you aren’t taking care of yourself!”

“Alright, alright. I’ll eat the stupid bagel…. Thanks, Patton.”

“No problem, buddy.” When he hung up, he turned and saw the head librarian standing there with a smile. “Oh, sorry! Personal problem, all taken care of!”

The librarian smiled, his eyes shining through his glasses as he adjusted his cardigan. “No worries, Patton! Though, perhaps you should take your lunch a bit early today? Someone is here to see you.”

Confused, Patton excused himself and left the back room before walking to the counter and freezing. “M-mom?” Margaret perked up and waved at her son from the other side of the counter. “Mom! What are you doing here?” Patton ran around the desk, almost bumping into the side of it in his haste. “You haven’t visited me at work in forever!”

Patton pounced and wrapped his arms around his mother, pulling her into a tight embrace. “Well, sweetie. I don’t have to visit you when you live with me but then you moved out again!” She swayed side to side with her son in her arms. “Oh, I’ve missed you so much. The house is too quiet without you!” Pulling away, she smiled up at her son and held him at arm's length, inspecting him carefully. “You’re looking good! Have you been eating properly? I can take you out for your lunch.”

Patton smiled and jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. “I packed a lunch today, mom. You don’t have to feed me.”

“Nonsense! Come on, we can go to that cafe just down the street you like!”

Patton perked up at that idea. “The same one I met Logan at?”

Maggie frowned and folded her arms over her chest. “Sweetie, I thought you didn’t meet Logan until you moved in together?”

A beat of silence passed before Patton realized what she had meant. “Oh, yes, not formally! Apparently, he went there sometimes and told me about this customer who was telling the cashier puns! I mean, what are the odds?” Patton smiles bright and thought about the full story, the small white lie he was keeping from his mother. Yes, Logan had gone there once before and yes, he had seen Patton there… but that was when Logan found out there were others like him in the city, that they weren’t truly alone. Logan knew it was Patton because he read his mind, but his mother would probably respond… poorly to that bit of information.

“Aww, it was fate! My little boy! Now, we have to go and you have to tell me how everything has been with Logan!” Margaret spun around and started walking away, refusing to take no as an answer.

Patton looked over his shoulder and spied the librarian in the doorway smiling. He waved Patton on to go and motioned toward the retreating figure. “Take a long lunch, it’ll be fine! It’s mostly college kids and essays until afternoon story time with the little ones!”

“Thanks, Emile!” Patton turned and jogged up to his mother and matched her pace. 

“So, how is that boy of yours treating you?”

“Logan and I are doing great!”

\---

“This is terrible!” Logan threw his journal down on his messy desk, leaning back in his chair with a frustrated groan. “This should be so easy! I have everything right here, why is this so difficult?”

Logan turned from the papers on his desk and stood from his chair, pacing the room. “I have Thomas. I have my parents. I reversed his memories already so, in theory, this should work! Why is everything getting in my way?!”

Logan had called Thomas and explained how he wished to train his abilities to be able to get a better handle on them. He wasn’t expecting the man to turn around and air his grievances about the whole thing. 

‘I’ve hurt you before.’ 

‘I just want to be as safe as possible.’

‘I don’t think I’m really ready yet.’

‘Can I just let this all sink in a bit? I’m still reeling from everything. The powers, the memory loss… did you know I had a dog growing up? How could I forget that!’

“Exactly why we should train! I can repair your memories, why is that so hard to understand?” As Logan began to pace more, he was aware of the rattling in his room. The objects on his desk shaking and threatening to lift off the ground. “I’m so close, I can’t stop! I have to get this done!”

He stopped pacing in the center of his room and turned toward his bed, marching over and sitting down on the edge of it. His sheets were messy as he hadn’t bothered to make his bed that morning. His head fell into his hands as he noticed just how shallow his breathing had become. His racing heartbeat pounded and he could feel each and every pulse ache through his body. Logan shook his head and tried calming down before looking back up at his desk, his hands falling away from his face.

It wasn’t just that. He knew he had to take it slow with Thomas, but he hadn’t expected to learn his parents had been trying to reconnect with him. He had no idea his aunt had been shielding them from him, or that his uncle refused to give out any information about what he had been up to.

Logan remembered talking to them when he graduated high school. He had just turned 18 and looked out to the crowd to find his parents completely missing. Auntie Em and Uncle Murphey would give small updates to his parents from time to time, but apparently, that was the thing that made them start to crack. Once they realized that they may have missed such a vital part of their only child’s life, they apparently reflected on everything that happened. Sure, Logan accidentally erased, or suppressed is more accurate, their memories. It was an accident and they chased him out, not quite believing him at first… but the evidence was there. His aunt and uncle explained everything. The lost years, the memory gaps, the photos of Logan through the years, everything they could. Logan had accepted his fate as punishment for his acts. He cut back on his powers almost completely, using them to remind him what he had done. No more altering people’s minds and causing his eyes to shine blue. No. If anything, his eyes would stay golden. He could move things around and maybe take peeks but no more messing with people. 

But it had been so tempting. He hadn’t quite realized how much he relied on his abilities and had to completely reteach himself everything. Even then, Logan found himself reflexively going back to his old ways. It felt like forever ago, but he remembered that first night on the rooftop with Roman and Virgil. He remembered watching them talk and debating with himself silently before offering Roman a way to improve on his abilities. Glad that at the time, Virgil and Roman were a bit preoccupied and neither had really seen him use his abilities to question the blue shine to his eyes over the gold. That they were a bit frantic when it happened again when he was trying to reverse what he had just done to Thomas.

And then there was Patton. The issues with Thomas and his family were one thing, but Patton was a different issue. Honestly, he didn’t even like calling it an ‘issue’ at all! It was just… the years of Logan going on dates and dating and everything… it wasn’t much to go off of since there wasn’t much there but Patton just felt different. Past partners could make Logan happy and excitable but Patton simply made him just… feel. Feel good and bad, excited and nervous, eager and shy, just… more in general. He took his time and always made sure Logan was heard and taken care of. When Patton had, gosh, kissed him! Even though it was an in the moment thing, it felt so natural. Logan wasn’t against it at all of course and eased any worries. Though he did have to mention he was somewhere on the ace spectrum and there would be limits which Patton smiled and nodded to without hesitation. Still, this relationship was different and Logan wanted it to work, but despite knowing Patton for a while, he didn’t know exactly how he worked. Logan couldn’t predict what he would do next and that almost terrified him. 

Looking at the issues, there was really only one thing Logan could really work on fixing. While he knew he would be made fun of for it, there was one thing Logan did best and that was research. So he walked back over to his desk and pulled out his phone, still terribly missing his laptop that was lost in the fire, and pulled up the search engine. 

\---

Roman’s ride home felt like forever as he squeezed into the packed bus. Getting off of work at rush hour was not going to be enjoyable but his first day was actually pretty nice. Although, they had needed someone to help for a while and it wasn’t until Roman showed up and overqualified that they even considered finally hiring someone, the work should be easy to sort through and catch up over the next few weeks. He wasn’t quite sure if he was too mentally exhausted to go out in costume tonight, but he had a feeling he could also just blow off some steam.

Virgil had outright stopped answering his texts at a certain point. He knew his boyfriend said he would be busy and he knew that the sudden lack of response was due to that and nothing Roman himself had said but he still couldn’t help his worries eating away at him slowly. His relationship with Virgil was different than any other boyfriend he had in the past. They always wanted him to do the flattering and take the lead. It was always fast and intense and wonderful before they calmed down and started enjoying the things he and Virgil did. It was different, territory he wasn’t that familiar with… so every step he felt was new for him. New and perhaps, though he dreads to think of it, wrong. Why was it different? Was it something he had done? Hadn’t done? What can he do to fix it?

When he arrived home, Virgil had been in the middle of his daily 'after work ritual of hating life itself' while lounging on the couch.

“Hey.” Roman smiled at the long moan of displeasure coming from the lump on the couch. “So, I don’t have to ask how work was, hmm?” 

“They’re all idiots and I had to reteach them freight. Which I just taught them. Why are kids so stupid?”

“Anything I can do for you?” Roman kneeled down next to the couch and softly rubbed Virgil’s back. “I can give all those kids a stern talking to.” Virgil huffed out a laugh and pushed himself up to turn to the other. “Or give them swirlies for ruining my boyfriend’s day.”

Virgil’s smile fell when he looked over at the other. “Hey, you okay? You look upset. Was work that bad?”

“Oh, no. It was fine.” Roman jumped a bit as Virgil suddenly sat up and glared down at the man in front of him. “What’s wrong?”

“You’re upset with something. You seemed upset this morning but I thought it was new job nerves. What is it? Was it something someone said? Who was it?”

“I’m fine, Vee. Don’t worry about it so much.”

Soft footsteps approaching caused them to break their stare with one another and turn to Logan who had just left his room. “Oh, good. Roman. I need your help with something.” He smiled at Virgil on the couch. “Mind if I borrow him? I’m not interrupting, am I?”

Roman didn’t hesitate to push himself off the floor and smile to Logan. “Nope, you’re good. What can I help with?”

“Roman.” Glancing down at the couch, Virgil was shooting Roman a glare, his frown intensifying with every passing second. “We have to talk about what’s bothering you when you’re done.”

“I promise.” Nodding, Roman turned and followed Logan back into his room, eyeing the slightly messier than normal room curiously as Logan’s eyes flashed and the sound of the door behind him clicking closed. “What’s up, nerd? What has you stewing in here all day?”

“Well, I have a number of dilemmas I was trying to work out all day but I can’t work on some of them just yet so this one has all my attention.” Logan picked up a pile of papers and sifted them neatly before holding them up. “So, my relationship with Patton thus far has been a failure.”

Roman jumped at those words. “E-excuse me? You and Patton have been fine! What issue could you have possibly found?”

“Well, Patton and I are two completely separate people with our own thoughts and feelings trying to merge them together.” Logan waves his arms around, the papers flapping about wildly before he held them out and gestured to them. “So I have spent the last few hours writing down a formula to-”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Roman held up his hands and cut the other off. “A formula? Logan, math and science aren’t going to help your relationship.”

With a sigh, Logan turned and sifted through the papers before pulling one out and placing the others on his desk. “Not necessarily but I do believe it can help. For example, based on the book by Gary Chapman, the five love languages can be beneficial to any relationship. Even platonic relationships.”

Roman went to make a comment before he stopped. “Wait. That’s… actually kinda smart.”

Rolling his eyes, Logan smirked and held up the paper as he read from it. “I know. I did think of it after all. For example, Patton reacts to and responds best to words of affirmation.”

“Okay, now you lost me.” Roman crossed his arms over his chest as he started to think. “Patton’s always doing things for us around the place. Wouldn’t that be the one he responds to the most?”

“Ah, you mean acts of service. No, I believe that is more of a coping mechanism for his stress and when he is bored. Also, his powers help with that a lot, but he responds the best to hearing the words most overall from what I’ve been able to gather.”

“I… I guess I didn’t think about it too much.” Roman frowned and focused his attention on the floor. “I love spending time with Virgil but maybe that’s not… quite right. Then what’s mine? And Virgil’s?”

“May I be of assistance?” Roman looked up at Logan as he adjusted his glasses and tried to suppress his cocky smirk. “How about simply asking him?”

Before Roman could respond, Logan walked over to his door and opened it, retreating back into the living room. Virgil was scrolling through his phone while he looked up. “Hey. Ro finish helping you with the thing or whatever?”

“Well, he was helpful but I was hoping to get your input on something.” Logan looked down at the paper still in his hands. “Are you familiar with the five love languages?”

“Uhh, sort of? I’ve heard of them before.”

“To put it simply,” Logan directed his attention to his notes as he began reading off of it. “They are words of affirmation, acts of service, quality time, physical touch and receiving gifts.” Logan looked over the paper to the roommate on the couch. “I am simply curious to the one you believe you respond to the best.”

“Well, I like hearing it, I guess.” Virgil bit his lip and looked over at Roman before turning away. “I suppose physical touch would work best for me.”

“Really?” Roman perked up and scooted passed Logan toward the couch. “I wouldn’t have guessed that but it does make a lot of sense.”

“Yeah, and yours would probably be acts of service.” Roman blinked in surprise at that, causing Virgil to chuckle. “Are you really that oblivious? How many times have you tried doing something for me today alone?”

“Huh.” Roman looked back at Logan before turning to his boyfriend. “I… hadn’t thought about that.”

“Yeah, duh. I guess I should have taken you up on something then if that’s what you wanted, but I honestly don’t care what we do as long as it’s together.”

Roman blinked and started to smirk evilly, ignoring how uncomfortable it started to make Virgil. “So that’s why you always are trying to be subtle and snuggle with me, huh? Very clever, Virge.”

“Yeah, well.” Virgil ducked his head and looked away, hoping his bangs covered the blush on his cheeks. “Whatever.”

“I will leave you two alone, then,” Logan smirked and turned, looking down at his notes. “I believe this has helped me with what I needed.”

Roman kept his eyes on Logan until the sound of his door clicked shut. He quickly spun around and Virgil froze, their eyes locked as they sat in silence. 

“So,” Roman leaned in and his smile grew. “You have a crush on me.”

Virgil sputtered before pushing Roman’s face away, turning around on the couch. “We’re dating, dumbass. Of course, I like you.”

Roman grabbed Virgil’s hands pressed against his face and held them to his chest. “Viiiirgiiiil~” his boyfriend tugged in attempt to free his hands while refusing to turn around. “Virgil, come on. Just look at me.” Roman lowered his voice as he began to whisper. “Virgil.” Turning his head, Virgil glanced over at Roman as he smirked. “There you are. Come on, Ed Sneer-an. What are you so upset about?”

“Not upset, you jerk.” Virgil looked away before turning back. “Just, you know, anxious. It’s kind of what I do like, all the time.” He looked up and smiled as Roman sat there, staring back at him. “What?”

“Just thinking.” Roman leaned in a bit closer and Virgil froze. “Virge, can I kiss you?”

Virgil tensed as his eyes lip up in realization. “Roman.” The man in question backed up a little bit at the sound of his name. “You’re an idiot.” Virgil finally freed his hands from Roman’s and grabbed his cheeks carefully, leaning forward while he pulled the man’s face to his own. Virgil smiled when their lips met, Roman letting out a noise of surprise before finally pulling the other close. Virgil pulled away only to have Roman grab the back of his head and pull him right back in. Virgil huffed out a quick laugh as his hands slid behind Roman, getting blissfully lost in the moment.

\---

Patton very quietly made his way across the living room, his hands covering his peripheral toward the couch at his other two roommates. If he hadn’t been itching to see Logan all day, he would have waited and given them their privacy. Fortunately, they either didn’t care he was there or they were a bit busy to even notice him.

Patton happily made his way to Logan’s room and knocked on the door, perking up when he heard footsteps approaching. 

“Well, Roman. I was hoping that I helped you enough for-” Logan stopped and froze at the sight of the wrong roommate. “-Patton!”

“Oh, Lo! Why were you helping Roman for me? That makes no sense!” Patton smiled as Logan connected the sentence he had just said before letting out an irritated sigh. Patton knew he meant nothing by it, however. “You have a nice day alone? You seem tense.”

Logan shook his head and gestured for Patton to enter his room. “I understand as an empath you can’t control what you feel from me, but if I am stressed about something, that does not mean you must take on the responsibility to help me relax.” Patton blinked at his words as Logan smiled. “You care about me a lot, Patton, but I am not dating you for you to try and make me feel better.”

“Oh?” Patton tucked his hands behind his back and leaned forward a bit. “So, why are you dating me?”

“For the food, mostly.” Patton couldn’t help but let out a laugh, covering his mouth as he fell into it with his whole body. His shoulders shook, his hair bounced, and he even wrapped his other arm around his stomach. 

“Oh, that was a good one!” Patton smiled and Logan wondered if his eyes could also shine without his abilities at how bright they were. “What did you do all day?”

Logan looked over to his notes before smirking. “Planning on how I could be an even better boyfriend for you.” Patton’s smile fell as his eyes widened. “I’m new at a lot of these feelings and I don’t like not knowing, but I think I figured some things out.”

“O-oh?” Logan could almost feel the nervous energy coming from Patton. Maybe he actually could, as the man was still trying to get a hang of his powers. “And what did you figure out?”

Logan walked up and stood in front of Patton silently. He smirked and quickly pulled the other into a hug, Patton speechless at the sudden act. “I think I like you quite a bit, Patton.” 

Logan felt arm arms reach up and wrap around him as well. “I know I like you a lot, Lo!”

Logan slowly pulled away after a moment as he felt all the nervous energy in the apartment seem to melt away. Most of it, at least. “I know I can be quite difficult to deal with, but I hope you are quite patient with me.”

“Aww, Logan!” The smile that grew on Patton’s face made Logan tense up and shake his head. “I’m sure we’ll _ace_ it!”

“No! Why must you make me suffer in such a fashion?!”

“I’m sure things will _pan_ out!”

“Patton!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There. Have your prinxiety kiss... or make-out technically but that part is more implied.


	10. Downhill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was just a stupid little disagreement... how did their day end like this?

“I can’t believe you’ve been keeping this from me!” Patton couldn’t hide the waver in his voice as he tried to hide how hurt he truly felt. “You know how much I wanted this so why did you lied to me?”

“I did not lie!” Rolling his eyes, Logan shook his head as he spoke. “You never asked.”

“Withholding information is a lie of omission, Logan!” Patton stomped a bit closer as Logan seemed uncomfortable as he was called out. “You knew I wanted it more than anything! Why would you keep it from me?”

“We are not ready for the responsibility-”

“I can handle it!”

“We are not getting a dog!” Patton opened his mouth but didn’t get a word out before Logan cut him off once more. “Or a cat, you are allergic! Yes, the lease says we can have a pet but we are still settling in! We are not home enough or financially stable enough to handle a dog.”

“Puppies, Logan!” Patton sounded defeated, knowing Logan made complete sense in his argument. “They need a home! And!” Patton perked up and smiled at a thought. “I can just leave Two here to watch after it every day! There, problem solved!”

Logan’s shoulders tensed up more and he turned away. “Patton, making copies drains you, you can’t do it every day or you’ll be too tired to do anything after a week.” He looked back to catch Patton’s face falling, the smile washing away. “Perhaps we can talk to the others about it but I don’t see it being feasible for us right now.”

“Is that a maybe?” Logan knew he would regret it but he nodded his head a bit as his boyfriend perked right back up. “Oh yay! Thank you! It’ll be great, we can raise it together and it can be like our child!”

“No!” Logan’s shout was a surprise to both of them, but he refused to back down from his answer. “No. I said it wouldn’t be possible right now. No pets.”

“B-but you just said-”

“Well, now I’m saying no!” Logan turned and quickly headed for the door. “I have to go to work.”

“Wait!” Logan hesitated with his hand resting on the doorknob. “You said you had the day off! We were going to have a date night!”

Squeezing the knob, Logan threw the door open quickly. “When I return back we can discuss this. I am needed at the bakery for a little bit.”

Patton watched the door softly shut and wrapped his arms around himself, replaying their discussion over in his head again and again. Logan’s behavior changed suddenly, but Patton couldn’t quite figure out why. He marched halfway to the door before stopping, deciding against chasing after Logan. A little bit of time was all he should need to cool off from whatever made him snap. 

“Patton?” Turning around, Patton spotted Virgil standing in the doorway, eyeing the door warily. “You okay?”

“Yeah, of course, I am!” Virgil seemed to huff and Patton didn’t bother with a smile as he sighed. “I don’t know, something is bothering Logan. I’ve been trying to get him to talk to me about his feelings but it feels like he’s starting to close himself off again.” Rubbing a spot in the center of his chest, Patton closed his eyes. “I can’t get a good feeling on him lately. He’s been all over the place.”

Virgil walked up and placed a hand on Patton’s shoulder, getting his attention. “I’ll go talk to him for you, Pat. Don’t worry.”

Virgil immediately headed for the front door and ran out, chasing after his moody roommate. He looked both ways down the sidewalk and noticed him standing at the bus stop just at the end of the block. He walked to the end of the street and looked both ways before jogging up to the bus stop. Logan was standing underneath the protective overhang above the bench, doing his best to look away from the sound of footsteps that were approaching.

“Hey.” Logan quickly looked up in surprise to Virgil who tucked his hands into his hoodie pockets. “You okay? It’s not like you to snap like that.”

“I did not snap. I merely had prior engagements.” Logan crossed his arms over his chest and stared into the street at passing cars. 

Virgil almost laughed as he shook his head, standing next to Logan and looking out at the traffic with him. “Your so-called prior engagements were with Patton before you suddenly snapped. You’re wound up tight, Lo. You need to talk about what you’re feeling before you royally screw something up.” He looked over at the other who refused to make eye contact. “Patton’s gonna start thinking he did something wrong. Heck, he probably already does with the way I heard that conversation end. You need to tell him what happened. Or at least tell someone before something so stupid does more damage.”

Logan pulled his arms in closer, hugging himself as he finally looked over at Virgil. Their eyes met briefly before Logan turned away, his shoulders falling as he let out a big sigh. “Fine. It’s stupid, it doesn’t make any sense for me to feel like this.”

Virgil reached out and patted Logan on the back as he smiled. “Emotions aren’t stupid. They make no sense and are impossible to completely understand but if something is making you feel weird you need to figure out why and work on it.”

Logan glared out at the street before closing his eyes and nodding his head. “Okay, fine. If you’re so sure it will help.” He slowly inhaled deeply through his nose before releasing it, the tension from his chest lightening a bit. “It took me months to recognize and admit my feelings for Patton.” His cheeks flared up red as he glared back out at the street. “It seems that in a matter of weeks, Patton is returning these feelings. Ones that took me forever took him no time at all. Am…” Logan licked his lips and looked up at Virgil, eyes wide with fear. “Am I wrong about what I feel? What if it’s not real? What if I’m mistaking my feelings for something else, something lesser. I don’t want to hurt Patton like this.”

“Dude, what are you talking about?” Virgil turned and faced Logan, confusion written all over his face. “You have real feelings for Patton, any moron can see that. Just because his feelings formed differently than yours doesn’t invalidate what you’re feeling. You’re worrying over nothing. Where did you even get that idea?”

Logan went to speak, gathering his thoughts as his jaw silently moved. “Patton… suggested getting a pet. He made a comparison to raising it like a child together, and I suppose…”

“Really?” Virgil shook his head and watched Logan fall completely silent. “That’s fine to freak out over comments like that, but this is Patton! He makes comments like that all the time. Besides, you’re dating. You should talk to him about these things, not turn and run. What’s gotten into you lately?”

“Nothing.” Logan knew the words fell flat, Virgil not believing him as he tried to drop the discussion. “Just a bit is all going on at once, perhaps all these changes are getting to me more than I had realized.”

“You mean with work and the move? Buddy, we’ve been living there for a while now. This isn’t something new. What’s going on?”

Logan saw the bus coming up the street and shifted uncomfortably before turning to Virgil. “Promise not to tell anyone? It’s something I think I need to share personally.”

The bus pulled up and hissed, lowering to the ground enough for them to get on. Logan turned and walked on before Virgil shot a hand out and grabbed his wrist. “Fine, but I didn’t bring anything with me. You’re paying for my ride, L.”

“L? I assume that it is short for Logan?”

“No, it’s short for Lawliet.” Logan turned from stepping onto the bus and raised a concerned eyebrow. “Don’t worry about it, just get on the bus.”

 

\---

Patton had been watching Logan and Virgil from the sidewalk in front of the porch. As he saw them board the bus, couldn’t help but feel almost helpless. As it pulled away from the curb, Patton turned and marched back into the apartment and closed the door behind him before falling back and leaning on it. He debated texting Logan that it was fine, he didn’t need a pet! It wasn’t worth arguing over, but that didn’t feel like the real reason the other had snapped. 

Patton tried ignoring the heavy ball of dread in his chest as he replayed the argument over and over again. It was such a small thing, nothing for him to stress over too much, but it was his first argument with Logan. It was over puppies! What bad thing could happen with puppies?! 

The apartment was quiet with him being the only one home. He thought about texting Roman who had left for the theater earlier. Pulling out his phone, Patton pulled up his messages and hesitated as he looked down the list of names.

He tapped away and pulled up a different contact before holding the phone to his ear while it rang. He had started mentally preparing what type of message he would leave before there was a soft click and the ringing stopped. 

“Hello?”

Patton smiled and walked into the apartment to pace around while he talked. “Hey, Thomas! It’s Patton.”

“Hey, Patton!” There was another voice in the background that got cut off before he heard Thomas say something. There was a ruffling sound before it grew quiet for a moment. “Joan also says hi.” 

Patton chuckled a bit and began circling the kitchen before turning back to the living room. “Hi, Joan!”

“So, what’s up?” 

“Oh, nothing! Just wanted to call and say hi!” The line went quiet and Patton pulled the phone away to make sure they still were connected. “Thomas?”

“Is this about Logan?” Patton froze his pacing and looked around the empty apartment to make sure he was truly alone. “He’s been acting strangely.”

“Y-yeah. You’ve noticed?” Patton brought his other hand up and held the phone before turning to the couch and sitting down. “Has he said anything to you?”

“Yeah, I mean. He’s been really encouraging me to learn to use my powers.” Patton frowned and tried to recall any situation where Logan had mentioned Thomas recently. There wasn’t much, he had mentioned texting him in passing comments but nothing like that. “After our discovery, it was fine, but then the other day he just started texting me all these ideas he suddenly had, it was kind of weird. Did anything happen?”

“I’m starting to think so. He’s been quiet lately. More, I don’t know… More stressed? I don’t know about anything happening, but I have a feeling he’s just not telling me something.”

“Well, calm down and start at the beginning.”

\---

Roman returned home from work with a spring in his step, eagerly rushing through the door and kicking off his shoes rather quickly before marching toward his room. He shut the door and quickly rushed to his closet, throwing it open and smiling at his costume that sat inside, waiting for him.

“Hello, beautiful. Did you miss me?” He reached up and unbuttoned his shirt, leaving it open and exposing the white tank underneath. “Just a quick dinner and Virgil and I are off into the night!”

Roman jumped suddenly at the loud clanging sound of metal banging around. He raced out of his room and to the kitchen where he found Patton quickly picking up pots and pans that fell out of the cabinet, muttering to himself. “What’s going on, pops and pans?”

Patton looked up and smiled, or at least tried to. Roman thought it looked more like a grimace than a regular Patton smile. “Oh, hey Roman! Just being clumsy as usual.” He turned and started stacking everything back into the cabinet they had fallen out of. “Any recommendations for dinner?”

“I dunno, something easy. Like macaroni and cheese.” Roman kneeled down and carefully placed his hand on Patton’s back. “How was your day with Logan?”

“Oh, he had to go to work suddenly and ran off!” Patton kept his tone light but refused to turn around. “I haven’t seen him since.”

“So you’ve been home with Virgil all day?”

Patton froze and turned and smiled at Roman. “Ah, no. He ran after Logan when he left.”

Roman decided to feign innocence and blinked at Patton. “Oh! Had he forgotten something here?”

“Ah,” Patton cleared his throat and turned back to the cabinet. “Not really, he just-” Roman reached over to Patton’s arm and placed his hand on it. He pushed it down and Patton’s arm lowered, placing the pan onto the ground as he did. “No. He hadn’t forgotten anything.”

“Seems like he forgot about your date.” Patton shook his head but didn’t turn or elaborate. “What happened?”

“We, uh… we got into a fight. He ran out the door saying he had to work and Virgil followed him. It’s been a few hours but I hadn’t heard from them.” 

“So… You’re sitting on the floor organizing our pots and pans?” Roman stood up slowly, pulling Patton up with him. “Pat, where’s your phone?”

Biting his lip, Patton slowly walked over to the countertop where his phone resided. He turned and handed it to Roman who carefully took it and looked down at it. “Here you go.”

Roman opened his mouth to speak before he froze, eyes glued to the phone. “Why do you have several missed calls from your mother?”

“Oh, well, funny story about that! Ha ha, you see, she visited me at work yesterday and…” Patton looked up at Roman, forcing his awkward smile on his face once more. Roman frowned and watched Patton, upset at his behavior. “I told her I went to a Prince Charging meeting once and she got really upset. She said it wasn't safe for me to get mixed up in things like that. We got in a small disagreement and she’s been trying to talk to me since.”

Roman watched Patton shift around uncomfortably as he gripped onto his friend’s phone tighter. “Patton…” When his roommate looked up, it was almost as if he was staring at a little kid who knew they had done something wrong and just had gotten caught. “Why didn’t you say anything?” Patton didn’t answer anything more than a shrug as he looked away ashamed. “Buddy, first off, we’re going to talk to Logan. Then we’re all going to talk about what your mother said to upset you. But first,” Roman handed Patton his phone, placing it in his hands and holding it tight. “Call your boyfriend, Patton. I’ll go call Virgil.”

As soon as Roman let go, Patton felt like his phone had become heavier as it weighed down his hand. He stared at it for a moment before tapping away, pulling up Logan’s contact information. He hesitated before pressing the green button and closing his eyes, listening in wait for the ringing. He waited, slowly holding the phone up as it rang again and again. Then, it stopped and he heard Logan’s voicemail answering back at him. With a sigh of defeat, he ended the call without leaving a message and turning to find Roman.

He tapped his foot impatiently before groaning and hanging up angrily, mumbling about the dramatics of having a flip phone over a smartphone and how he missed it. He turned and saw Patton, knowing the other hadn’t gotten anyone yet either. “I’ll get into costume and go looking. If he hears I’m out without him, he’ll come find me to chew my ear off.” Roman smirked and tried perking himself up more. “Call the bakery and go get something for dinner. It’s early enough, they may still just come home.”

\---

“Are you sure turning it off is a good idea, Virgil?” 

The man in the hoodie sighed and pulled out his own phone. “Here. I’ll turn mine off as well, ok? You’re too distracted by it. We’ll turn them back on when you have an answer. Staring at it and waiting for it to do something isn’t going to help.”

Logan conceded and shut off his phone, watching Virgil hold down the power button on his own. “So, you’re saying about Thomas? You think if you get him into training more, he can fix your parent’s memories?” Logan nodded, staring at the blank screen of his phone. “Gotta say, kinda thought they died with the way you kinda almost never mentioned them.”

“Last we really spoke, they were confused by my existence. I just don’t understand why my auntie and uncle would hide that from me. They’re my parents, Virgil.” He looked up from his phone and stared out at the park from the bench they were sitting on. “I want to mend my relationship, but I don’t feel it is earned unless I am able to fix everything.”

“You can’t fix everything, Logan. You certainly aren’t helping by making things worse with Patton.”

“I’m just…” Logan groaned and leaned forward on his knees, resting his head in his hands. “I’m feeling so much and they’re all conflicting one another. I don’t know what to feel.”

Virgil hesitated before placing his hand on the other’s back. “That’s fine. Just take it one by one. What’s the thing you can work on now?”

“Well, talking to Patton first off. Then I need to cut some of these things from my life so I can focus on what’s important.” Logan slowly sat up, looking at Virgil as he did. “This isn’t going to be very pleasant, is it?”

“Just make sure you are positive of your decisions before you act. Then we can head on home. I’m sure Patton is worried.”

\---

While he hadn’t expected to get much from calling the bakery to check in on Logan, Patton was disheartened to hear that Logan and Virgil had never even arrived there and they had no idea where they had gone. With their phones off, all Patton could do was sit and wait… that lasted all of five minutes before Patton grew stir crazy and decided to quickly run to the store to gather some things for dinner. It technically wasn’t his turn but he couldn’t just sit and wait around any longer.

Patton returned home with a bag in his hand and a smile on his face. Roman’s idea of macaroni and cheese was a good one, but Patton needed something that could distract him a bit more. So, he figured he should go all out and make something special, boiling up some noodles and making mac and cheese from scratch. It will take far longer than he wanted, but he knew how to make a roux and it could feed the others plenty, no matter when they got home.

Turning the knob to the door, Patton froze in the doorway, staring across the living room. “Logan?”

The other was almost out of the room before he stopped in the doorway, his back facing the rest of the room. Slowly turning, he gripped the book he was holding closer as he almost glared over at Patton. “Patton. I hadn’t expected you home so soon.”

“I went to buy some stuff for dinner.” He shut the door and watched Logan stare at him intensely. “You knew that. We were supposed to have date night, remember?”

“Ah.” Logan wrinkled his nose and turned away. “One would have thought our argument this morning solved that issue.”

“It was a silly argument.” Patton placed the bag on the ground and took a few steps closer before stopping at the sight of Logan retreating back to his room. “I’m sorry, it wasn’t worth fighting over. Just forget about it, okay?”

Logan watched him closely before shaking his head. “No, I think it was just a good peek into our future were we to stay together.”

“What?” Patton’s voice was soft and small. “Logan, that’s…” Logan’s expression never changed from the unamused glare he shot back. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that we’re over, Patton.”

\---

Roman marched across the city without much luck before his phone finally started to vibrate. Usually, he didn’t carry his personal phone on him but he knew Virgil would be upset if he went out patrolling and only had the burner phone that didn’t take his calls half the time. He pulled it out and noticed the familiar name on the screen before answering. “So now you turn on your phone.”

“I was trying to get Logan to stop being distracted and think about his feelings. It took everything I had, you’re welcome. Where are you?”

Roman looked around for the nearest street sign. “I hope you got through to him. Patton was a mess when I saw him last. Speaking of, we should meet up and talk with him. I’m on the corner of--oh, ha!” Roman smirked as he read the signs. “I’m on the corner of Monarch and Crown. That’s perfect.”

“What are you doing over there? Wait. Don’t tell me. You better not be running around right now without me, Princey!”

“Oh shush. I haven’t even found anything yet. Wherever my pull is taking me is very out of the way. I’m sure you can get here in no time.”

“I’m not gonna pop in there and I don’t have much cash on me. I only have what Logan gave me, and that’s not gonna get me across town five different ways.”

“Don’t worry about it! Just pop in, you got this. I believe in you.”

Virgil snorted on the other end and Roman couldn’t help but smile, imagining the face he made as he did so. “Thanks for the confidence. Just give me a few and I’ll be right there. I need to figure out where exactly that is before I pop up in the wrong spot.”

“I eagerly await your arrival.”

When Roman hung up the phone, the itch of the pull tugged a bit, gaining his attention once more. He tucked the phone away carefully before continuing on, hoping that it was close by and Virgil would be there shortly. 

\---

Logan only got to his bedroom door before Patton came thundering down the hall, shoving his way past and blocking Logan’s bedroom door. He threw his arms out and stared down the other, eyes glossy as he fought back tears. “We are not just ending things like that! We need to talk about this more!”

“What is there to talk about? I don’t feel anything for you, Patton. Now, get out of my way.”

“No!” In a quick flash of light, Two and Three popped out and each grabbed one of Logan’s arms, pulling him away from his door. Patton stood tall in front of the doorway with a ready stance. “We are talking about this! Why are you breaking up with me over the fact I wanted a dog? You’ve been hiding something from me that’s been stressing you out! Just talk to me, Logan, I’m going to find out either way!”

Logan scoffed and turned to the Pals with a sneer. “Let me go before I make you.” His eyes started turning a soft gold before he ripped his arms away, marching back into the living room. “If this is how I will be treated in my own home, then I am leaving.”

Two and Three raced to catch up, Patton close behind. Three managed to block the door while Two blocked the kitchen, leaving Patton taking care of the only other exit back to Logan’s room. 

“You will stop acting childish and talk to me!” Patton was desperate to get any other answer from the man in front of him. “I’m your boyfriend, talk to me, please.”

“Not anymore, you’re not.” Logan turned to Three and bared his teeth. “Move. Now.”

Three looked over at Patton who sighed in defeat before nodding. Three looked back in despair before slowly stepping out of the way and leaving the front door unguarded.

Before anyone else could move, the doorknob turned slowly and opened up, the room falling still at the sight of the newcomer as they glanced around the room.

“Patton,” Logan questioned as he spoke slowly, staring into the apartment from the front door. “Who is that and why are they in our apartment?”

\---

When Virgil finally pulled up a map on his phone and managed to figure out exactly where Roman was, he just had to duck into an alley and freeze time. Easy enough. He had done it plenty of times before. Heck, he did it on the first day of the new place and again to treat Roman but… but he had done it always with someone else there. He wasn’t ever alone, tucked away and out of sight as to not get caught. He felt his mouth go dry and tried taking even breaths to calm himself down before he lost his cool. Was he calm enough? He couldn’t be too panicked before he did this, bad things would happen. Oh gosh, why is the thought of panicking making him panic?!

It took a while before he was able to calm down and take the plunge, peeling away from time with that gentle nudge it gave him and staring back at his portal. He stopped as if waiting for something to happen but he was only met with the complete stillness and silence that frozen time left him. He smiled a bit before chuckling. Then Virgil was full on laughing, staring at his portal as if it was the answer to life. He did it! Nothing bad happened! He was alone and froze time and everything was okay.

Well, first he had to duck through the portal and take a look around. He was cautious, sticking his hand slowly in before walking through like he always had. He looked around and noticed a street sign and smiled. 

“Roman?” He knew the other couldn’t answer unless he unfroze time, but it was nice to call out to him as he looked around, hoping to spot the familiar flash of white and red. Frowning, he ducked away and started time once more before looking around. “Princey? You here?”

Virgil paced that block twice before pulling out his phone and dialing for Roman. “Come on, pick up, pick up…” He was met with an answer on the final ring and let out a sigh of relief. “Oh thank goodness. Roman, where are you?”

“Uh… About that… promise you won’t get mad?”

\---

Logan immediately shut the door behind him as his eyes glared up gold. “Who are you and what do you want from us?”

The Logan standing in the center of the room suddenly seemed a lot more panicked at the sight of the original. He looked around at all the Pattons in the room blocking every exit before he shut his eyes and vanished from sight. 

“He’s gone!” One of them cried out.

Logan shook his head, his eyes still shining brightly. “No, he’s still here. I can tell.” He slowly swept his eyes across the room and back up against the door. “I can't get a grip on what I can’t see but I can hear your panicked thoughts. Reveal yourself! There’s no use hiding any longer.” 

The room was quiet before he appeared again, grabbing Three who let out a yelp and tugged at the arms holding him in place. Suddenly, another fake Logan copy appeared in front of them, a smug and victorious smile on their face. “Now, let me go free or this one gets it.” 

 

“Three!” Patton and Two cried out at the same time. 

 

Logan looked over at Patton, watching him quiver in fear as he thought through possible scenarios a mile a minute. Two looked just as worried as he did. He turned back toward the fakes and Three before holding up his hands. “We let this one in front go, then you let go of our Pal. Once he’s safe, you can go.”

The imposters seemed to debate it silently before Logan’s eyes flared up once more. He stared down the one in front before blinking, eyes widening. “I can’t read your thoughts.” The two imposters jumped in unison as Logan flickered his eyes to the other. “No, I can’t read their thoughts… because there’s no one there. You can create false imagery!”

“Illusions?” Three had stopped struggling before and stared at the fake image in front of him. “So he doesn’t even look like Logan!” Three stood up and stomped on the imposter’s foot, grabbing his arm and swinging them around. They crashed through their illusion as they stumbled back into the center of the room.

 

“Okay, okay! I’m sorry!” The imposter looked around at the three of them as their panic increased. “Just let me go and we can forget about this, right?!”

“Wait.” Patton took a step forward, ignoring the worried look the real Logan had shot him. “I know you, don’t I?”

“I doubt it.” Patton watched the fake shift uncomfortably and turn away under his watchful gaze. “You wouldn’t recognize me anyway. Illusions, remember?”

“You’re him. You’re Leslie’s nephew. The one that lives with her just upstairs.”

The Logan copy froze, looking at Patton speechless before closing his mouth. “She said… She told you about me?”

“Well, kind of. I recognized you from the other times we met too.” Patton looked over at the real Logan and smiled. “You were pretending to be Logan before and came and took his journal. That’s why it went missing. Then you came in as Roman to return it. I ran into you both times. I thought they felt a little off. They seemed so nervous which is really unlike either of them.” Patton took a cautious step forward, smiling as the other didn’t move. “You’re the one she asked me about the other day. She was worried and had questions and wanted to be careful. I didn’t even think of the possibility of you being just like us!” Patton stopped his advancement and smiled. “You have powers, wowie!”

“Wait, this is the other roommate that lives upstairs? The other footsteps we have been hearing?” Logan frowned, still tense and ready to attack. “What are they doing here? Explain yourself.”

Patton ignored Logan’s harsh tone as he smiled. “Your father kicked you out.” Patton spared a glance to Logan, watching as he saw a spark of recognition pass his eyes. The faint glow from his eyes faded and Logan eased up a bit. “So your aunt took you in because you just graduated school and you don’t know what to do. She doesn’t know how to help so she came to me.” Logan was still ready to move but not able to be so harsh in a situation he knew far too much. 

“It’s okay.” Two smiled and stepped closer to Patton. “We won’t hurt you, promise. Just introduce yourself.” He reached forward and tapped Patton’s shoulder, disappearing in a flash.

Three didn’t move from his spot, the imposter standing between him and Patton. Leslie’s nephew turned and looked at him and he simply smiled and waved. “A-and you’ll let me go?”

“Well, you’re holding onto something that isn’t yours, kiddo. You’ve also stolen from us before. Maybe you can answer a few things before we let you go?”

“It’s not as if I can’t simply follow you upstairs.” Logan countered. “If you read my journal then you know what we’re capable of. It wouldn’t be wise to get on my bad side any further.”

The imposter seemed to stew and think, looking back and forth before looking down at the book in his hands. He sighed and nodded his head, his form melting away as he did.

Stood before them was a young man, scarf around his neck and a black beanie hat on his head. Half of his hair fell out almost in his face while the other seemed shaved from what Patton could tell. He looked up and frowned, tossing the book onto the ground and shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “The name’s Clyde.”

\---

Roman’s eyes fell onto the man his feet had pulled him to and it only seemed to befuddle him. The middle-aged man stood there looking bored, not a care in the world. He wasn’t distressed or anything, why would he be drawn to him then? Was he planning on doing something bad?

He approached cautiously before the man turned and saw him. He froze and smiled at the stranger, puffing out his chest like he normally would. “Well, hello there, citizen!”

The man frowned and looked back confused. “Who the hell are you?” He questioned.

Roman threw his head back and laughed. “Why, I am Prince Charging!” He placed a hand on his chest and smiled, closing his eyes and striking a pose. At the silence that followed, he slowly glanced back over to the man and frowned when he didn’t react. “Uh… the Masked Prince! Vigilante and protector of the people!” Roman turned and smiled again, striking another pose with his arms raised but frowned again when he still didn’t get a response. “Really? Nothing?”

“What on Earth are you wearing?” Roman looked down at his costume, admiring it as he had a million times before. “I thought you wore a hoodie.”

“Oh, that old thing?” Roman waved a hand as he smiled. “No, that was just until I had this made! I mean, a hoodie doesn’t fit the theme, you know?”

“I guess. So, you’re this prince everyone is talking about? Who apparently has real powers?” Roman smiled and nodded, earning a scoff from the man. “Don’t believe it.”

Roman almost gasped, offended by the stranger’s words. “Excuse you! I am the genuine thing! A real, true hero! I have a great gift and I simply was to help all of those around me and-” Roman froze as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He slowly started to turn around before he heard a loud clicking noise ringing in his ears. He tensed up, his hair shooting up and standing on end with a shiver down his spine. Roman stayed still until the clicking noise finally ceased, slowly moving his fingers as he did so. Clenching a fist, Roman slowly turned around and found another man standing right there, a black box in his hand and panic on his face. “Wait, did you just…” Roman looked at the object as his thoughts pieced together. “Did you just use a taser on me?”

The man panicked and pressed the button to lunge and attack once again. Roman reached out and grabbed it, small blue sparks shooting off his hand as he gripped the object as tight as he could. The man let go of the taser, stepping back as Roman grit his teeth, the electricity coursing through his hands as he squeezed as tight as he could. The taser broke apart in his hands, partially melted before he tossed it onto the ground in a smoking mess. Roman looked up at the man who had attacked him and frowned, watching him panic and turn to run. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the other man had already turned and fled the scene.

Turning back, Roman sprinted and tried catching up to the other stranger when his phone starting going off. Virgil! He moved and forgot to tell Virgil! He sighed and stopped, deciding to let the man go free while he answered his phone. “Hey, Virge. Oh. Uh, yeah… about that.”


	11. Breaking Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So someone’s been breaking into your apartment... wait what?!
> 
> Warnings: Threats of violence, lying, cursing

It was abruptly much calmer in the apartment as the young man revealed himself. Patton had checked on Three who reassured him he was fine. More annoyed over his situation than anything, he was glad he pulled this ‘Clyde’ off of him when he could. He huffed and disappeared in a flash of light, merging back into Patton.

Clyde had only taken a seat on the couch at Logan’s insistence. He had his feet up on the coffee table for a total of three seconds before it moved out from underneath them, his feet quickly falling to the floor. Logan stared at him, his eyes still shining from moving the table before he shook his head.

“So, Clyde, are you thirsty? I can get you something to drink!”

Logan almost scoffed at the statement. “Please, Patton, that won’t be necessary. He will answer our questions and be on his way.”

“Now Logan, be nice. He hasn’t done anything to you.”

“He tried stealing my journal!” Logan turned to the book that sat on the table and reached out, lifting it into his hand telepathically. “Apparently, he had stolen it before! Why come back for it a second time?” He waved the journal at the intruder who simply looked away. “What would you benefit from stealing something you already stole? How did you even learn about it?”

The only response he got was a grin followed by silence. Logan grit his teeth as he grew impatient with the man. Clyde crossed his arms and leaned back into the couch, his scarf attempting to hide his smirk. “Like I would actually tell you.”

“It’s ok, Logan. No one was hurt and I’m sure he will apologize!” Patton smiled and motioned for Clyde to speak up. “Remember what it was like before we all found each other?” Logan eased up and turned away from the two. “I’m sure everything he’s said and done was just him lashing out! We can talk about this peacefully.”

“What he said? Had he said something?” Logan turned and glared over at the man on the couch as he ducked his head away. “What did he say?” Logan looked over at Patton who bit his lip and became uneasy. “Patton?”

The uneasy smile he was met with did nothing to calm Logan’s nerves. “It’s nothing! I mean, I should have seen it wasn’t him. The voice was a little off, though he does a good job on the impressions, I was just nervous because I was actually worried you did want to break up with me but that’s so silly because it was a stupid disagreement and-” Logan raised a hand, halting Patton’s uneasy ranting before turning back to the couch.

Logan’s eyes molten gold flashed for a brief moment and Clyde found himself staring him down, Logan grabbing hold of his shirt and scarf and pushing him into the couch. Patton jumped and attempted to lean forward to stop him before freezing, watching carefully. “You broke into our home numerous times. You lied and stole from us, you invaded our privacy, had the audacity to act tough about it, and then with my face, broke up with Patton?”

“Talk about invading privacy!” Clyde tugged at the iron grip holding him in place. “What, you just read my mind? Uncool, let me go!”

“You lost that right the second you decided it was okay to tamper with the lives of others.” Logan shook the man on the couch and saw the flash of fear finally go through his eyes. “Why would you think that was okay?!”

“I thought it would be funny, sheesh! I needed him to leave me alone. No need to get all bent out of shape! Let me go!”

“Logan!” Patton reached forward and placed his hands on Logan’s, nudging him to let go. “Clyde is just a kid, he was probably scared and this is not the way we should be handling it.”

Logan’s eyes finally dimmed back to their regular hue and he let go, dropping the other onto the couch. Clyde huffed and fixed his scarf and readjusted his beanie before glaring back up at Patton. “I’m not a kid.”

“You’re nineteen, I’ve got a decade on you, kiddo. You’re a kid to us.” Clyde huffed and Logan backed away before turning to the door. “Logan?”

“You will leave, you will forget about what you have learned, and I will allow you to make amends for your actions peacefully. Is that understood?”

Clyde looked at Patton who simply nodded as if he knew something Logan did not. “Fine.” Pushing himself off of the couch, Clyde eyed Logan carefully as he made his way to the front door. “You’re not going to mess with my head, are you? Or do you not have the guts?”

Logan ignored Patton sucking in a gasp as he stared down the shorter man. “I will allow you to go peacefully as I mentioned. However,” he stepped closer and watched as the other scooted away from him. “You enter without permission or say a word, and you will lose all rights to that kindness. Is that understood?”

“W-whatever.” He turned tail and ducked out the front door, slamming it behind him. Logan could hear the haste of the retreating footsteps to the other door before running up the stairs.

Logan and Patton stood silently before Patton went over to the door, picking up his discarded grocery bags. He turned and looked at his boyfriend who kept his gaze up to the ceiling where the footsteps had quieted, his eyes blank and dark. “Logan?” It took a few seconds before he lowered his gaze to Patton. “You read his thoughts, didn’t you? Not just about the fight about what he said.”

Turning away, Logan looked angered but not at anyone in particular if Patton had to guess. “Kicked out by his parents simply for wanting to be his truest self? I can perhaps relate to that a bit too much.”

“Kicked out?” walking up, Logan felt a hand on his back as Patton walked around him. “Your parents kicked you out?”

“I would rather not talk about it. Honestly, I think I could use a bit of a distraction.”

Patton hummed and held up the bag with a smile. “Help me with dinner?”

The awkward atmosphere dissipated with the two working together to get dinner made. Almost wordlessly, Logan started boiling the noodles while Patton worked on the cheese sauce. Logan would look over and when Patton caught him, he would make a silly face. Soon, they were both at ease around one another as the situation started to pass.

“As long as you’re okay, Patton, we can discuss things after dinner.”

“Of course I’m okay! I know I can be a bit much and rush into things, I get it that I probably just worried you.”

“Not an excuse to run away and metaphorically throw our plans out the window. I will make it up to you.” Patton perked up and smiled, causing Logan to look away, flustered. “One day, we may get a dog.”

“Yay!” Patton launched himself at the other, wrapping his arms around him as he giggled. “You were right, we aren’t really ready to take care of a pet. It’s a lot of responsibility and it’s unfair to assume Roman and Virgil will help take care of one.” He pulled away and smiled before turning back to the stove. “Thank you and I’m sorry about the silly fight.”

“Think nothing of it. I’m sorry I reacted so poorly to it.”

They worked in relative silence until the front door bashed open, causing both of them to jump. Logan turned off the stove while Patton ran toward the front door, stopping as Virgil sneered and stomped his way in.

Logan was at the doorway when Roman approached, back in his regular clothes a bit early from his nightly ‘heroic patrols’ he did. “Oh good, you two look like you made up.” Virgil turned to the front door as Roman sheepishly walked in, purposefully avoiding touching the door. “Hey, Roman, wanna tell them what you did?”

“I said I was sorry! Besides, it’s not my fault I was assaulted!”

“You were tasered!”

Roman huffed as he crossed his arms. “I didn’t ask them to taser me!” A small spark bounced around Roman’s form as he spoke. “And no matter what I try, I can’t seem to burn off this excess energy!”

Logan placed down the wooden spoon he was holding and walked over to the supercharged man. “That is indeed a problem. I do not own any personal protective equipment and such a large surge of energy could cause damage to this apartment.” Logan motioned toward the front door as he spoke. “I would rather we not burn this place down as well.”

“Well, where am I going to burn off so much energy? I already tried!” Roman stomped his foot and the surge ran through the carpet as everyone’s hair started to stand on end. “Sorry.”

Virgil huffed and tried fixing his bangs from standing up as he turned toward the others. “First work, now this? Glad I didn’t miss anything exciting here.” Patton immediately ducked his head away to avoid eye contact and it was enough for Virgil to grow concerned. “Oh, no. What happened?”

Patton looked at Logan who sighed before turning to the other two. “Apparently Leslie has her nephew staying with her. He also seems to hold the ability to create illusions and snuck into the apartment disguised as me.”

“I think…” Patton bit his bottom lip nervously and cleared his throat. “I mean, he stole Logan’s journal and has read about all of us, but when he returned it the other day, he saw the notes on Thomas. Maybe he was trying to see if you updated it since I stopped him from reading them back then?”

They stood silently before looking at one another and all their eyes fell to Virgil. The paranoid one. The careful one. He always was telling them to lock the door or keep an eye out and now…

Now, Virgil nodded, not saying a word as he took in the information. “Yeah, okay.” He looked up and caught Logan’s concerned gaze. “Logan, can you help Roman burn off some of that energy? And Patton, can you, uh…” He sniffed into the air and frowned. “Are you cooking? Can you finish that? I just… I need a minute.”

Virgil turned and headed to the front door, Roman carefully stepping out of his way. He called out to him but didn’t bother to stop him as Virgil slowly clicked the door behind him shut. He stood on the porch and took a deep breath before squaring his shoulders and walking over to the door next to theirs. He rang the doorbell and placed his hands behind his back as he heard someone run down the stairs to the door and unlock it. He put a smile on his face as a middle-aged woman appeared through the screen.

“Hello?” She asked, looking at Virgil concerned.

“Hi! Are you Leslie? My name’s Virgil, I’m your downstairs neighbor.” The woman perked up and smiled. “I heard Clyde came downstairs and met some of the others and gosh, I haven’t even gotten to meet you! I had to stop by and say hi myself.” He nodded his head up the flight of stairs. “May I come in?”

“Oh, of course!” Leslie pulled open the screen door and happily motioned for Virgil to enter. “Come on in! I was just asking Clyde where he went. He didn’t mention meeting the neighbors!”

Virgil marched up the stairs and saw a similar layout to their own apartment in many ways. “Yeah, Roman and I just got home but he needs to run out. I just couldn’t wait, you know? I’ve waited far too long already!”

As Virgil turned to the stairs, he saw Leslie walk up and pat him on the shoulder. “Well, that is so sweet of you! I’m glad to hear Clyde is getting along! I was so worried!” She slid her hand off his shoulder and walked deeper into the apartment. “Clyde! Clyde, one of the neighbors is here to see us!”

There was a sudden noise followed by frantic footsteps approaching from the side before someone stopped in the doorway. Virgil smiled at the kid who tugged at a scarf around his neck, turning away the second he saw him. “Well, you must be Clyde! Patton just told me he introduced himself to you.” Virgil walked forward and extended his hand out. “It’s nice to meet you! Sorry I haven’t introduced myself sooner.”

Clyde had his arms crossed and his hands tucked away as he stared down at Virgil’s. Leslie cleared her throat and he reached out, shaking Virgil’s hand briefly. “Nice to meet you.”

“I’ve been told you know all about us! So I’m excited to learn all about you.” Clyde could see the sharpness in Virgil’s smile, the edge in his tone. “I’m Virgil, by the way, in case you couldn’t tell.”

“You’re… different from what I was expecting.” Clyde didn’t move but tucked his hands away again.

Virgil smiled and placed his hands on his hips proudly. “Well, I have to make a good first impression! Though, I can’t stay. I just wanted to come by and say hi, I really should get going. Roman’s all charged up for tonight and Patton is so full of energy, it’s like there’s two of him sometimes!” Turning to Leslie, Virgil saw the woman smile and chuckle at his ‘joke’. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of each other.”

“Oh, please do stop by, Virgil! You boys are such a pleasure.” She leaned to her side and shot Clyde a pointed look. “I’m sure you would enjoy that, right sweetie?”

“Of course, aunt Les. A pleasure.” The second she turned away, Clyde sneered at the man as Virgil frowned. “Drop the act.” He whispered to the visitor. “I’m not buying it.”

“Oh, well, good.” Virgil threw his arm over the other’s shoulder and pulled him in close. “Then I can make this brief.”

Slamming his eyes shut, the rush and lightheadedness overcame Virgil for a brief moment before he stumbled forward, keeping his grip on the younger man next to him. He spun around and grabbed Clyde and pulled him close and kept silent.

The younger man tugged at the iron grip Virgil had on him before turning to his aunt. “What the hell? Let go of me! Aunt Les, help!” He stopped and looked at his aunt as she stood motionless, half facing the stairway to the front door. “Aunt Leslie?”

When Clyde’s eyes flickered back to Virgil’s, he was met with a menacing grin. There was no fake sugar coating on this one like the ones before had. “Well, now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, we can have our chat.”

Virgil let go and Clyde stumbled back, grabbing the front of his shirt while staring Virgil down. “What the hell did you do?”

Virgil smiled and shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. “I stopped time, duh. We’re stuck in this exact second and I’m the only one that can pull us out.” He walked forward, Clyde standing up tall in defiance as Virgil stopped a foot away to lean in. “You messed with my family. You messed with me.” His smile dropped as he glared. “I don’t appreciate that. So, here’s the deal. You pull that stunt again? You try ratting us out? Doing anything I don’t like? I’m leaving you stuck in stopped time.”

“You can’t do that!” Clyde seemed mostly sure of himself as he spoke. “You can’t, I read Logan’s notes!” He smirked a bit. “You’re bluffing.”

Virgil stepped forward and Clyde immediately stumbled back. “You seem so sure, how about I just leave you here, then?” They stared each other down silently before Virgil’s started smiling again, wider and wider. It was enough to unnerve Clyde to shake his head. “Good. That's what I thought.”

Clyde stumbled to the side suddenly, throwing his arms out to try and catch himself while Virgil turned to look at him, somehow almost halfway across the room.

“Clyde! You okay?” He looked up and saw his aunt staring at him concerned while Virgil smirked at him from his spot. Virgil had resumed time so effortlessly, he wasn't expecting it. Clyde nodded and pushed himself upright while she sighed in relief. “Well, say goodbye to our nice neighbor! I’ll see him out, I’ll be right back!”

\---

Virgil entered the apartment and headed straight for the kitchen. Patton perked up and smiled at him before turning back to the macaroni and cheese he and Logan had made together. “You feeling better, Virge?”

“Yeah, actually.” He walked over to the table and sat down, letting out a huff. “I think everything just became too much for me.”

Patton hummed and checked on the backing macaroni dish before leaving it to bake a little more. “Work has been rough too, right?” Virgil shrugged in response. “The Roman thing didn’t help any.”

“It’s fine. Actually, work is going a little better. I’m starting to get used to the extra responsibility so it’s not as stressful. Took me almost two months.” He leaned back in his chair and Patton glared at him. He quickly put it back with all four legs on the ground, not wanting to upset him further. “Knowing what has been causing me to be uneasy has helped, though I’m not thrilled it’s some teenage punk thinking he’s hot shit.”

“Virgil!”

“What? I’m not wrong.” They sat silently, Virgil staring at the clock ticking by while Patton focused on the timer counting down on the stove. “Do you think Roman will be okay?”

“Of course he will! He’s just got to burn off some of that energy and I’m sure Logan can help.”

“No, not…”

Patton turned and saw Virgil staring at his phone. “Oh.” He walked over and placed his hands on Virgil’s shoulders. “Virgil, he’s got us! Even if he does get himself into danger, we will be right here to protect him.”

Luckily, it wasn’t much later that Logan and Roman returned. Roman was full of energy, in a good way, talking about all the cool things he managed to pull off with so much energy.

“My whip was sturdy enough to be like a real rope and I started to climb it, it was the coolest thing! I wonder if I can pull that off normally, that would be awesome! I had so much energy I almost started burning my clothes off. Oh! I also had enough of a charge to levitate some large pieces of metal and even stand on them! Man, Static Shock makes it look so easy!” Virgil grinned and listened to his boyfriend go on and on excitedly, keeping silent his worries only for the moment. “Of course, I’ll probably never be able to do any of it again so it was fun while it lasted.” Virgil looked up from the table as Patton set a plate down for him. “Too dangerous, gotta keep safe. Right, sidekick?” Roman raised his glass of water he was drinking and smiled, causing Virgil to smile back and nod.

The night quieted down and Roman felt off, having for the first time in his life burned off all his energy he gathered. The fuzzy feeling that he had grown accustomed to was almost nonexistent. He flopped down on his bed and sighed, feeling himself start to pull into unconsciousness when there was a knock on his door. He called out and looked up, spotting Virgil standing there, hunched over and skittish.

He watched Roman lazily look up from his pillow and smile, wishing him a quiet goodnight when Roman let out a long groan. Virgil stopped and Roman reached out, making grabbing motions with his hands. He patted the bed and waved Virgil to come over, sighing content when he felt his bed dip and pulled him close.

“Virge.”

“Yes, Roman?”

“M’sorry I was attacked today. Didn’t mean to worry you.”

“It’s fine, Roman. Let’s just go to sleep.”

\---

They had a plan. They never said it very loud in case there were listening ears, but it was a plan none-the-less. Logan demanded they all use their spare keys, locking the doors even when someone was home. They removed the emergency backup key that was hidden on top of the door frame and moved it elsewhere. A place they knew no one would look, under the porch on the side of the frame. It was so impractical but it would work in case of a dire emergency.

They fell into this comfortable pattern for a few days without any big issues. Logan knew if needed, he could pick the lock and break in. He didn’t have much experience with it but he did pull it off that one night with Roman. Virgil was always extra careful and Patton’s keys held his work keys so he always had them on him. Roman was the biggest one with trying to remember but having to need them for work more and more, he adjusted well enough.

Then all that calmness went out the window when one day, someone knocked on the door.

They were all home and raced toward the front door, stopping and standing silently as the door knocked once more.

“Who is it?” Patton cried out, approaching the door.

“Thomas.”

Patton stopped and turned, looking at the others. “Did someone invite over Thomas?” He whispered loudly to the others. His question was met with a series of head shakes. “Just a minute!” he cried out to the door. “Did we tell Thomas the backup code word?”

“Patton,” Logan sighed. “We didn’t make a backup code word.”

“I told you we should have!” Roman cried out a little louder than normal.

Thomas knocked on the door once more and Patton turned and hurried to open it. Thomas stood on the other side and smiled. “Hey.” He took a step in and stopped, seeing the other three staring back at him. “Woah, you guys okay? What’s going on?”

“Thomas?” Roman asked carefully. “You’re really Thomas?”

“Last I checked?” He looked around and grew more and more worried. “What’s going on?”

“How do we check?” Patton asked, turning and biting his thumb. Logan seemed to have an idea and Patton shook his head. “Without you reading his mind.”

“I’m missing something big, aren’t I?” Suddenly, a song started playing loudly, coming from Thomas. He looked down and pulled out his phone from his pocket and stared down at the screen.

Thomas looked up at Virgil who stood there, holding his phone to his ear. “You should pick that up.”

Thomas pressed the green button on his screen and slowly held it up to his ear. “Hello?”

“Yo, it’s Virgil. Hey, we have a weirdo neighbor who also has powers and can make illusions and was pretending to be us to sneak into our apartment. Is that you?”

“There’s a what?!”

Virgil hung up and pocketed his phone. “Yep. That’s Thomas.”

They led him into the apartment and explained everything carefully. Thomas nodded and leaned back into his seat on the couch before looking up at Logan. “So, did you only check the city for others just the one time or…?”

“Hey, yeah. Do you regularly check the city for other superpowered people?” Roman perked up, suddenly much more interested. “We found Thomas that one time!”

“Purely by chance, it looks like.” Virgil huffed out.

Everyone looked at Logan who stood there silently, panicking. “I… have not. I suppose people with powers could move to and from the city on a regular basis. It has been a year since I’ve thoroughly checked so…”

“Is this a thing?” Virgil spoke up. “Are we going to have to keep checking for the rest of our lives?”

“Well, no. I don’t think it’s necessary,” Logan explained. “If I thought it was necessary, I would have continued to do so. However, what does it matter? What would finding others do? We could hardly handle ourselves.”

“Well, obviously Clyde needs a helping hand too!” Patton jumped up from his spot. “I’m gonna be his friend and help him out!”

“Just be careful,” Logan called out. “He’s shown he’s not bothered by pulling dirty tricks.” Finally turning to Thomas, Logan gave him his full attention. “Now that we have that covered, why have you decided to visit us today?”

“Oh. Uh, well…” Thomas ran his hands through his hair. “Oh goodness gracious. Sorry.” He cleared his throat and looked up at Logan. “So, I took what you said into consideration. You’re right, this whole…” he waved his hands around as he thought of a word. “-thing that happened with that smokey snake… thing. It uh, it really messed with my memory. I keep finding bigger holes of things I’ve just… forgotten. Things I know I should know but I don’t know I don’t know!”

“You’ve lost me.” Virgil got up from the couch and headed toward the kitchen. “I’m grabbing a snack.”

Thomas sighed and took a moment to gather his thoughts. “I don’t remember a lot of things but the reason I can walk around is because we used our powers together. That's what fixed my memories.” Logan nodded and Thomas looked at him and leaned in. “I’m ready to try again. Teach me how to use my powers.”


	12. Old habits die hard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas says he wants to learn more about his powers, but he certainly isn't acting like it...

With his hands steeped in front of him, Virgil sat on the armrest of the couch with his feet on the cushions, facing Thomas who stared back silently. Virgil would randomly tap his fingers together as he was lost in his thoughts he kept to himself. Thomas looked over to Patton who was sat on the floor in front of the couch and looking in between the two periodically. He shrugged and Thomas silently huffed before turning back to Virgil. “Maybe-”  
  
“Shhh,” Virgil laced his fingers together and leaned on his knees, squinting at Thomas a bit. Thomas wrinkled his nose and leaned away, unsure how to take Virgil’s strange behavior. Eventually, Virgil nodded to himself and slid down onto the cushions and crossed his legs on the couch. Patton was the empath but it didn’t take one to be able to see how unsure Thomas was. He was putting up a front, obviously. The nervous energy rolled off of him so much, Virgil was almost unsure of his own plan. “Okay,” holding out his hand, Virgil smirked a bit to himself. “Shake my hand.”  
  
“What? No!” Thomas pulled away and stared at Virgil’s hand as if it would lash out at any moment. “We’ve been over this when we met, Virgil! I’m not just gonna shake your hand like that!”  
  
“Oh come on!” Virgil didn’t actually seem upset as he let his hand fall into his lap. “This is completely different and you know it.”  
  
“How is this any different?”  
  
“Because you’re not going to hurt me this time.” Thomas made no attempt to move as he stared skeptically at Virgil’s hand. “You won’t. You know what your powers do now, Thomas. You don’t want to hurt me, so you won’t.”  
  
Thomas reached up slowly and kept his eyes locked onto Virgil’s. “I dunno…” With a nod of encouragement, Thomas finally grabbed his hand firmly and slowly started to shake it. He tried to pull away and Virgil whispered a soft encouragement to him, holding onto his hand tighter.  
  
“You got this, Thomas,” Patton whispered from his spot on the floor. “We believe in you!”

 

Looking back to Virgil, Thomas seemed a bit unsure of himself, squeezing his grip tighter. “I just… I don’t want to hurt you.”  
  
Their hands suddenly felt warm, too warm, too _hot,_ and both pulled back, the familiar feeling of Thomas taking energy recognizable to both of them at this point. “You had it, what happened?”  
  
Thomas was sure Virgil was going to be upset with him for failing when he did have control, but Virgil seemed concerned as he rubbed his hand. “I… I dunno. I’m not used to this! I’ve never had to use my powers, I don’t know what I’m doing.”  
  
“Yes, you do. Are you really that dense?” Virgil leaned back into the couch and sighed.  
  
“Come on, Thomas!” Patton perked up from his spot on the floor. “We believe in you! You said you were ready, right? You got this!”  
  
“Well, maybe I…”  
  
Virgil groaned and leaned forward and rested his arms on his legs as he spoke. “Thomas, you’ve had these powers your whole life. It was just never apparent until now. That means you’ve been using them the whole time! My portals weren’t always so wobbly. They probably weren’t even portals at first, but that’s what they grew to be. The same thing goes for you, you just need to be open to the idea.”  
  
“Yeah!” Patton perked up and leaned onto the couch, smiling up at him. “I wasn’t an empath at first, it just grew like that!”  
  
“So… Do you think I didn’t just take energy at first? That’s kinda what Logan thought, but...” Thomas looked from Patton who nodded before staring down at the palms of his hands. “I don’t think that’s how mine worked. I mean, how can I use them if you were the first superpowered people I met?”  
  
“You’re not thinking about this the right way.” Virgil leaned back in closer as he perked up, excited to explain himself. “What if you don’t take _powers_ ? What if you take _energy_ instead?”  
  
“Energy?” Thomas shook his head. “Wait, I’m confused. Where did that idea come from?”  
  
“Me. Just now. Or like, ten minutes ago, doesn’t matter. Think about it!” Virgil started waving his arms around as he spoke excitedly. “We are throwing things at the wall here to see what sticks! So, we have to question everything until we can find the right answer. We haven’t questioned if you worked with energy yet! We need to at least test the theory to see if it’s true, but it makes sense if you think about it.”  
  
“How so?” Patton tilted his head and rested his arms on the couch. “If he hadn’t noticed things before, how would we know?”  
  
“Yeah, I never even had the idea I could do anything until I met you guys.” Virgil turned to Thomas and smiled. “I don’t like that look,” he mumbled, leaning away from Virgil once more.  
  
“They could have been things that you could write off as normal. Have you ever gotten excited around others? Just… a sudden burst of energy?” Thomas raised a brow at Virgil’s question. “Or perhaps you feel exhausted when around too many people?”  
  
“That doesn’t explain anything, Virge. That just makes me an introvert.”  
  
“Humor me. Have you been with others and suddenly felt tired? You could have been passing around energy and never known it.”  
  
“Wait…” Thomas mumbled as his brain started to understand where Virgil was coming from. “Like, when I’m performing. Could I get energy from others and the audience? Or, during a scene, give it out unknowingly?” He looked down at Patton for a moment. “I passed out after a scene once while still on stage. That could explain it, couldn’t it?”  
  
“I think it could! It’s worth testing out anyway!” Patton smiled and stood up from the floor. “How about you stop thinking about your ability as taking power and think of it more and sharing energy like Virgil said?”  
  
Patton held out a hand and Thomas smiled. “I think that could work. I’m willing to give it a shot, anyway.” Despite his words, Thomas hesitated and Virgil frowned. “Promise to do something if this doesn’t work?”  
  
“It will work, Thomas. You’re ready for this.” Virgil’s words didn’t seem to encourage him, but he nodded and reached forward, taking Patton’s hand. “Now, let’s start slow.”  
  
\---

Logan was literally pushed out the front door the second he had hesitated in the doorframe. They had told him Thomas was going to come over for training on the rare day he had work at the bookstore. The bakery? He could call and explain and his aunt and uncle would be fine with that. But the bookstore? He had perfect attendance and had never been late and no matter how much he thought about doing it just the once, Patton had pushed him out the door and promised he’d take care of everything. It did ease Logan’s worries a little bit, perhaps Patton could get through to Thomas where he could not. He was so close, he knew it, but something held Thomas back every time.  
  
At least working at the bookstore wasn’t the worst thing he could be doing instead. The best thing about it was how the shifts seemed to fly by for Logan. He could easily get lost in the sorting and organization of the small local shop and business was usually slow except for the college students buying second-hand books cheaper there than most college recommended sites. Still, the mornings were calm and quiet where Logan could usually pick up the slack that was left behind at closing. He wasn’t the most sociable person but he usually was so organized the owners looked past that. Social skills weren’t as important for a shop tucked away on the side, it never really became too busy.  
  
He started his days off like he always does, at the community board. Anyone was allowed to put up fliers for events as long as they were appropriate and it was his job to take down old ones that may have passed. One or two fliers that had been up for far too long and that usually was the most he ever took down, but he would also organize it so there was plenty of space for others.  
  
Then came organizing the books that had been shipped in. Ones people requested or new releases they managed to get a hold of. There was never any rush during the quiet mornings and Logan usually hummed softly to himself as he prepared the store for the rest of the day.  
  
One or two people came in, but otherwise, it was a quiet day. It also felt incredibly, painstakingly slow. Knowing Thomas was over at the apartment while he could be there to assist caused him to be very aware of every passing moment. While he knew Patton and Virgil could take care of things, there was nothing more than he wanted to do besides be there. There was more on the line for Logan than Thomas himself had realized. Thomas was learning to control his abilities and he was doing so well! They were so close! Logan could basically feel it each time, Thomas would get it any day and who said that day couldn’t be today?  
  
The bell above the door chimed as a customer walked in, earning a quick greeting from Logan. It was almost a reflex for him to speak whenever he heard the bell these days. The customer had headed straight for the community board with a paper in hand. Logan made a note to inspect the flier to make sure it was appropriate before they left before returning to his work sorting books. The way they marched in with the board set as their destination didn’t seem out of the ordinary but something told Logan to be safe, just in case.

 

“Hello? Do you work here?” Logan turned and put on his best customer service smile. “I was looking for the non-fiction section?”  
  
“Come right this way, I can show you where that is. Was there anything in particular you were looking for?”  
  
The poor college student was content being brought to the right place and Logan was not envious of the panic that crossed their face as they inspected their options. He thought back to his days in libraries and research papers. It certainly was something he didn’t miss. He was almost to the front of the store when he heard a tearing noise of paper in the shop. A few big strides brought him back to the community board where a man was tearing a sheet of paper in half, his back to Logan.  
  
“Excuse me, sir?” He approached the guy who didn’t seem to care he was being addressed. “Are you the one that put the flier up?”  
  
“What does it matter?” He took the paper he had hidden under his arm and pinned it in the previously empty spot. “Just making room. It was an old flier.”  
  
“I see.” He eyed the scraps of paper the man had bunched in his fist. “Next time, our policy is to inform us and not remove it yourself. That being said, I do appreciate it. I can take the old paper and recycle it for you if you’d like.” The man scoffed and handed the paper over before quickly heading for the exit. “Just one moment,” Logan turned around, waving the scraps of paper to the man. “This was not an old flier.”  
  
“It’s a stupid one you didn’t need hanging up, you’re welcome.” Logan looked down at the Princey Fan Club advertisement he had recognized before turning back to face the board. “He’s a menace anyways.”  
  
“I see, and the new anti-prince poster in its spot has nothing to do with that?” Logan reached over and pulled down on the paper, tearing it from the push pin that was keeping it in place.  
  
“Hey!” The man squared his shoulders and puffed out his chest, probably in an attempt to appear more threatening. Unfortunately for him, Logan couldn’t care less about how tough the man tried to look. If need be, he could have him out of the building in an instant without moving a finger.  
  
“If you can not respect the rules that are in place, I’m afraid I’ll have to decline your poster as well.”  
  
“You can’t just do that!” The man marched up to Logan as he turned red in the face. “That stupid prince is pretending he’s better than the cops, running around with a taser! Someone’s going to get hurt.”  
  
“So we have a mutual agreement, needless violence is unneccessary.” Crumpling up his paper with the shredded poster, Logan never took his eyes off of the man. “Simply follow the posted rules next time and your flier can stay. Have a nice day, sir.”  
  
The man was angry but chose to huff and walk off instead. He slammed the door behind him and marched off down the street and away from view. Once he was gone, Logan let out a sigh and tossed the paper in a bin. It was going to be a longer day than he thought. He had to talk to the others when he got home.

 

\---

 

“Okay, go ahead.”  
  
Thomas reached out and grabbed Virgil’s hand like he had done before and took in a slow breath. They waited a moment before Virgil’s hand grew warm, but he gripped the hand tighter. “You’ve got this.”  
  
Thomas nodded, focusing more and finally let out the breath slowly. He felt his own hand turn cold this time and kept the grip as his shoulders tensed. “It’s cold.”  
  
“I think you did it.” Virgil hesitated before he let go. “I think you gave me energy that time. Not much, but you did it!”  
  
“I did… I did it!” He laughed and threw himself at Virgil, wrapping his arms around him. “I did it, oh my goodness gracious! That’s so cool! I got it!”  
  
Virgil was frozen stiff as Thomas giggled gleefully, hugging him and rocking back and forth. “Yeah, whoo…” He was entirely unenthusiastic as he slowly raised an arm and gave him a pat on the back. “Knew you could do it.”  
  
“You did!” Thomas let go and sat up, turning to Patton. “You both did! Gosh, I needed something like that. Logan was being a bit pushy.”  
  
“What do you mean?” Patton smiled but his face showed concern. “Was Logan being too rough?”  
  
“More like he made it seem like… Like I had to do it! That I was going to.” Thomas slumped over at the thought. “Like I needed to, not that he believed I could.”  
  
Patton grew more concerned when Virgil sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “W-well, I’m sure he was just so excited! He gets really into these things,” Patton tried reassuring Thomas. “You should have seen him when we first met him! He’s gotten better.”  
  
Virgil shook his head and mumbled to himself. “I’m not so sure.” He looked over at Thomas and smirked. “Doesn’t matter, you got it! Just a bit of practice and you’ll be doing it like it’s nothing.”  
  
Thomas couldn’t stop his smile from dropping at that. “Oh, yeah, great.”  
  
“Are you okay?” Patton immediately switched to his overprotective mode. “Are you feeling alright? Is something wrong?”  
  
“It’s just…” Running a hand through his hair, Thomas gathered his thoughts before he shook his head. “I’m glad I’m able to figure all this out, but I’m still a little overwhelmed. Like, okay.” He held out his hands as he spoke. “I still don’t remember a lot of things and I know using my powers can help me but… I dunno. I feel like I woke up one day with half my life completely gone and everyone’s been telling me who I am! I want to learn who I am myself, you know? No looking at photo albums and hearing stories. I want to go out and experience things and relearn myself. I know I said I wanted to learn my powers but I’m more than just my powers, aren’t I?”  
  
“Well, of course,” Patton smiled and reached over to Thomas, rubbing his arm reassuringly. “We don’t want to force you into anything you don’t want to, we just want to help!”  
  
“Yeah. I mean, it sucks for us, but it’s worse for you right now,” Virgil shrugged at the look Thomas and Patton both sent him. “What? I’m being honest. We can handle Logan, I know he’s really been pushing you about this. You go hang out with Joan and Talyn and all your friends and go have fun. We’ll always be here when you’re actually ready. You don’t have to force yourself for us.”  
  
“Really? Are you sure? Because I know that this could be helpful and I do want to learn eventually!”  
  
“Thomas,” Patton smiled and reached over, rubbing his arm reassuringly. “You matter to us more than your powers. We’re you’re friends too!”

 

Reluctantly, he had agreed to let it go. They were happy he wanted to learn but forcing himself for their sake wasn’t healthy. Thomas thanked them again for helping him so far with his powers before venturing off back across the city. Patton sighed when he was out of sight before shutting his door and turning to Virgil. “We’re doing the right thing, aren’t we?”  
  
“Of course, now come on. I’m energized and hungry, let’s go get a bite to eat.”

\---

  
Pacing the living room until Logan came home became the worst thing Patton could do. He was nervous about this conversation with Logan but he wasn’t even entirely sure why. Logan would understand Thomas’ decision! He had to, he was so sweet and kind, he just needed to explain it all first. Virgil was tired after his little boost of energy from Thomas wore out and had decided to take a nap. Patton originally protested, stating that taking one so late in the day would through off his whole internal clock. Virgil simply replied ‘I don’t obey the laws of time, I don’t need to listen to clocks.’ It was a silly point from Virgil but Patton couldn’t argue with it, he wasn’t wrong after all.  
  
To kill some time, he had finished an entire puzzle with Two and Three and watched dozens of animal videos on his phone. While he was laying on his bed, he was zoned out for a while before he heard the front door creak open. He paused the video and leaned to peek out his bedroom door he left wide open, but he was sure the quiet entry was made by Logan. Roman usually announced his appearances one way or another but it was still too early for him to be home from work. Once he saw Logan, he jumped up in excitement, momentarily pushing back the conversation he was dreading having for the flutter that appeared in his gut at the sight of his boyfriend.  
  
“Logan!” Patton perked up and reached out, carefully tugging Logan’s arm into the apartment. “You’re finally home!”  
  
“Please don’t tell me you sat here waiting for me.” Despite his tone, he smiled as Patton shrugged, bringing him to the couch. “Have you had an eventful day?”  
  
“Oh, not really. Virgil and I went out for lunch but now he’s taking a nap! Roman’s not home yet, so it’s just you and me!”  
  
“Ah, I see.” Clearing his throat, he adjusted his glasses and tried to appear uninterested. “And how was Thomas? He was over earlier, was he not?”  
  
Patton’s smile became a bit strained as he nodded. “Yeah, we made progress! I need to talk to you about that, though.”  
  
“Progress?” Patton didn’t like the way Logan perked up eagerly at the news. “What sorts of progress?”  
  
“Well, uh, it seems we managed to get Thomas to use his powers to give energy to Virgil willingly. He had-”  
  
“He did?!” Logan jumped up from the couch with a grin stretching from ear to ear. “This is wonderful! Goodness, this is the best thing I’ve heard all day! Perhaps all week! I should contact him immediately and-”  
  
Patton reached up and grabbed Logan’s hands, tugging on them to get his attention. He took a moment to breathe and tried letting a wave of calm wash over both of them as best he could. He felt so anxious and he wasn’t entirely sure why. Virgil had asked him to wait until they were both there to talk since he didn’t know everything that his boyfriend went through. He knew he was missing something important, something that caused Logan to push Thomas a bit too hard. He recalled Logan saying his parents kicked him out and not elaborating further, but Virgil must have known and it must have been the missing link between Logan’s parents and Thomas somehow.  
  
Patton tugged on Logan’s hands once more, causing him to sit back down on the couch slowly. “We need to talk about that.”  
  
“Did it go okay? Were you injured? Is Thomas okay? And Virgil?”  
  
The smile that grew on Patton’s face as Logan started to worry was undeniable. “No, no. Not that. Everyone is fine. It’s just…” Licking his lips, he prepared for how he was going to be able to explain this clearly. “Thomas is thankful he’s managed to control his powers a bit, but he wants to take a step back. I think things are still too much for him and he kept pushing through for our sake.” Logan didn’t react at all which caused Patton to panic a bit. “Not forever! He just wants to try and fill some things himself before we give all his memories back! It’s just too much happening at once for him. I don’t think all of us have fully recovered from that monster.”  
  
Logan opened his mouth before hesitating, calculating his words exactly. “I can bring his memories back if he can boost my abilities. He realizes that, does he not?”  
  
“Well, yes! But he’s more than his lost memories, Logan. He just wants-”  
  
“He just said he wanted to learn to control his powers.” Logan tugged his hands out of Patton’s and stood up tall. “What happened today? Why did he change his mind?”  
  
“I told you, Lo. It’s okay, he just wants to take it slow!” Patton held up his hands defensively. “We were pushing him too much, he needs more time. We need to respect that.”  
  
“No, I don’t…” Logan’s eyes started to glow and Patton winced at the sight. “He said he would, he can’t change his mind like that! Doesn’t he see how important this is?”  
  
“To you or to him? Why do you care so much?” Patton frowned before gripping onto the couch as it shook. “Please, I want to help but I don’t understand!”  
  
Logan shook his head as small objects took to the air, his eyes glowing brighter. “We have to get his memories back! We _need_ to get them back!”  
  
“Or what?” Logan blinked in surprise as Patton finally glared, his anger flaring wildly enough that Logan could start to feel it mix with his own. “Would you force him to? Huh?” Logan blinked as the anger melted away, turning into something else… “Would you make him do what you want? Just take a moment and poof! You can have him totally agree to do whatever! Is it worth that? Would you do that to him?”  
  
Shaking his head, Logan’s eyes dimmed and flitted out, his normal brown eyes staring back scared. Panicked. “I wouldn’t, you know that. I said I wouldn’t. I couldn’t.”  
  
“Well then, Logan, you need to calm down and think about what Thomas wants.”  
  
“I just…” Logan ran a hand through his hair nervously. “He said himself, he wanted to learn. I wasn’t trying to be overbearing, I simply wanted to help Thomas help himself!” Logan started growing desperate in his explanation once more. “Don’t you see? This isn’t about me!”  
  
“Logan-”  
  
“No! No, you don’t get it, I have to do this! I have to make everything right!”  
  
Patton stood and tried chasing after Logan who quickly retreated to his room. He was only a few feet behind when the door slammed shut in his face, barring him from going any further. Patton sighed and wrapped his arms around himself, rubbing his arms up and down to help generate warmth. He slowly made his way back to the living room and sat on the couch, replaying the argument in his head over and over.  
  
He sat in silence for a few minutes, trying to figure out where he had gone wrong. Even more important, how he could apologize and make it right. A knock on the door brought him back to reality. Patton only hesitated a moment before deciding to answer it. As he opened to door, he was surprised to find Clyde sheepishly standing on the other side. “Hello? Clyde?”  
  
“Hi, Patton. I, uh…” Clyde seemed unsure as he looked at Patton and eyed the door to his own apartment with his aunt. “I heard yelling and I wanted to make sure you were okay.”  
  
Patton honestly thought about waving it off and turning him away. He also debated pouring his heart out to his neighbor. True, Clyde couldn’t be completely trusted, but he did deserve a second chance. Patton didn’t know all the pieces of the story anyway, so there wasn’t much to tell him.  
  
Closing the door behind him, Patton nodded and headed for the stairs of the porch, sitting down and facing the road. Clyde took the hint and followed, sitting right next to him. “So, how much did you hear?”  
  
“Not really anything. It was muffled. It was you and Logan again, right?” Patton nodded and sighed, his shoulders falling as he slumped over.  
  
Patton thought of a million places to start before he shook his head and bit his lower lip nervously. “It’s like someone hit a reset button on him. He said he wouldn’t do this again but he fell back into his old habits at the first sign and he doesn’t even realize it!” Patton waved his arms around, talking passionately as he did so. “He’s started clinging to that book again and only thinking about what he can learn and not about how we feel! I don’t know what happened and he doesn’t want to talk about it but…” Patton stopped and his arms fell, defeated. “I’m not going to sit by and watch him go down that path again! He was getting better, but without forcing him to talk, I don’t know what to do.”  
  
Clyde slowly reached an arm over Patton’s shoulders and awkwardly pulled him in closer. Patton was more than happy to take the invitation as he attempted to rest his head on Clyde’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Patton. You’ll figure it out. I’ll help you any way I can.”  
  
Patton hummed and wrapped his arms around the younger man. “Thank you, Clyde.”  
  
He hesitated before returning the gesture and hugging him back. “Of course, Patton. It’s my pleasure.”


	13. The Truth Will Set You Free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan and Patton had a disagreement, but that doesn’t seem to slow down their relationship. They have something much scarier to deal with after Patton gets a phone call..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: yelling and cursing

****

With the morning sun brought a new brightness to the apartment. The light seemed to shine through the heaviness across the residence from the night before that still lingered about. Virgil got up with a groan, walking like he was still halfway in his bed as he trudged across the apartment and straight for the coffee pot. Roman made a concerned comment before shrugging it off, Virgil reassuring him while mumbling into the mug that he 'needed the coffee to function today'. Roman sighed and acquiesced. The banter was typical of them so early in the morning, something Patton appreciated after his restless night. Virgil sat in a chair grinning while Roman kept up the conversation with Patton, knowing Virgil would be a dead end. Besides a few witty quips, Virgil kept silent, watching the two fall into their normal pattern, but the empty spot where Logan usually occupied remained empty. Eventually, Virgil woke up enough to form complete sentences and waved the others off as he made his way to work. Roman perked up and headed out himself, not wanting to be late for his new, albeit still dreadfully boring desk job. Patton smiled and waved them off before looking at the breakfast leftovers and feeling the full brunt of the silence in the apartment.

After mentally yelling at himself to just suck it up and talk to Logan, Patton found himself outside the only bedroom door that hadn't opened that morning. Normally Logan would have been up and dressed by now. He would have visited the bathroom to adjust his appearance properly for the day, then made his way to breakfast, but it was well past that time and Patton had yet to hear any noise coming from the room beyond the closed door. He still hesitated before he knocked, the first few too soft before he got the nerve to properly knock loud enough. Patton shuffled on his feet, nervously berating himself over his knocking skills, telling himself that Logan wouldn't even think that was a person actually knocking. It was so strange; who knocks like that? Of course, Logan wouldn't answer to that! It wasn’t enough. Patton should knock again. Or would knocking so quickly afterward only annoy his boyfriend further?

The door opened and Patton jumped, making a high pitched noise in shock as he did.

"Patton?"

"The knock!" Patton's face grew even redder in embarrassment.

Logan raised a confused brow. Patton couldn't help but notice he had already gotten dressed, but his hair was still a bit of a mess. Since Logan hadn’t left his room that morning, he probably hadn’t styled it yet and Logan always had suffered from severe bedhead. "The knock?"

"I knocked... weird. Sorry."

"I do not understand why you choose to apologize for that, but I shall forgive you if it makes you feel better." Logan shuffled on his feet and glanced away awkwardly.

Patton nodded and cleared his throat. "I uh, I just wanted to, um..." He attempted to smile as he pointed behind him to the kitchen. "I made breakfast? If you're hungry, that is! You always say how eating is important and how you shouldn't skip any meals."

Logan nodded, putting his hand on his door. "Is that all?"

"No!" Patton reached out before putting his hands to his chest. The rapid beating of his heart was so loud he wondered if it might be dangerous to his health. "I wanted to apologize. I pushed you to talk after upsetting you and that wasn’t right. I’m sure you had a reason for getting upset! Sorry."

Logan sighed and his hand slid off the door and to his side. "No, Patton, you don't need to apologize. I was upset and took it out on you." He lifted his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "You were entirely correct, it is Thomas' decision whether he chooses to train his abilities. I just wish I could have talked to him before he made such a rash choice, but I would never force him..." Logan seemed to wince more and dropped his hand, keeping his eyes closed. "I apologize for my abhorrent behavior yesterday. I do hope you could forgive me."

When he opened his eyes, Logan jumped and took a step back. Patton stood there, his hands pressed into his cheeks, the smile on his face so bright it lit up his eyes. Logan felt his heart jump. Something about being able to see Patton so happy, let alone knowing he was the one who had managed to do so, was more than enough to bring a blush to his own face. "Oh, Lolo~!"

"Please don't call me--" Logan was cut off by Patton reaching forward, wrapping his arms around Logan's torso. "--oof! No, Lolo can’t stay, don’t give me that look!"

"Aww, you like it, don't deny it!" Patton pulled away and smiled up at his boyfriend. "Now! You better comb your hair and get ready while I'll prepare your plate!"

"I can take care of my own breakfast!" Logan called down the hall and shook his head as Patton disappeared from view. "Not that you mind, I suppose."

When Logan entered the kitchen, he saw Patton place a plate onto the table with a smile. “Here you go!”  
  
“I told you, I can cook myself, but it is very appreciated.”  
  
“Aww, you know how I like to keep busy!” Patton jumped up and reached down, patting his pants before realizing he was still in his pajamas. “Oh, gosh, where did I leave my phone?” Patton glanced around before heading toward his bedroom, mumbling to himself.  
  
Logan ate in silence, mentally preparing his day ahead. He still wanted to talk to Thomas and perhaps hear him out. It sounded like he should also apologize for being a bit too pushy. Logan ran through different versions of the conversation in his head in hopes of not screwing it up and making things worse. Preparing what he could say helped eased his nerves about the whole dilemma.   
  
A chime rang out and Logan looked over, spotting Patton’s phone sitting on the counter near where he must have been cooking. “Patton?” He looked toward the doorway but heard no movement from the other. “Patton, your phone seems to be out here and you are receiving a call!”  
  
Logan stood up from his chair and walked over, seeing it light up and vibrate along with the chimes. “You found it?” He heard Patton cry from across the apartment. “Can you answer it?”  
  
Logan cleared his throat as he picked up the phone, holding it carefully to his ear. “Hello?”  
  
“Patty! Oh goodness, I was hoping you would answer!” said a cheerful voice. Though it sounded familiar, Logan couldn’t quite place who it belonged to.  
  
“Unfortunately, no.” Logan was quick to cut off the person on the other end, lest he hear something he shouldn’t or would rather not. “Patton had misplaced his phone, give me one moment to retrieve him.”  
  
“Oh! Is this Logan?”  
  
Patton ran into the kitchen and smiled, slightly out of breath. He would have definitely missed the call if Logan hadn’t answered it for him. Giving himself a moment to catch his breath, Patton placed a hand on his chest and evened out his breathing before walking over. “Yes, Patton is right here. Just give us a moment,” said Logan.  
  
“No, wait! This is perfect, I’ve been meaning to talk to you!” Logan froze, ready to hand Patton’s phone over. Patton had his hand out, ready to accept it as he watched on, curious to who could be calling him so early in the morning.  
  
“You wanted to speak to me?” They shared a confused look as Patton lowered his hands. “I’m sorry, who is this?”  
  
“Oh, silly dear! It’s me, Maggie! Patton’s mother!”  
  
“His mother?!” Patton looked more panicked then Logan felt. Patton frowned, shaking his head with wide eyes. His frantic actions gave Logan an anxious feeling in the pit of his stomach. They hadn’t talked much recently, had something happened with Patton and his mother? “Is there something I can help you with, ma’am?”  
  
“Oh, pish posh! No need to be so formal! I already told you to call me Maggie!” Logan looked to Patton for something to say while his boyfriend stared back, panicked and confused as he couldn’t hear the conversation going on. “I was hoping you would come over for dinner soon!”  
  
“Dinner?” repeated Logan. Patton immediately shook his head frantically once more. “I’m not so sure that’s such a good idea.”  
  
“Come on, I don’t bite! Are you saying you don’t want to get along with your boyfriend’s mother?”  
  
“No, but-”  
  
“It’s settled, then! I’ll see you tomorrow at six!”  
  
“That’s not what-” The click of the phone caused Logan to freeze up before he heard the inevitable sound of the phone alerting him that his call had ended. He pulled the phone away and looked down at it, seeing the photo of Patton and his mother smiling as her contact photo before it faded away.  
  
Patton reached over and carefully grabbed his phone, chuckling to himself. “Let me guess, she decided for us and hung up before we could say anything?” He smiled up at Logan, not too bothered by the turn of events. “She does that a lot, sorry. Don’t worry about it.”  
  
“I am terribly sorry, I can come up with an excuse to cancel.”  
  
Shaking his head, Patton held his phone close before walking over to the kitchen table and practically falling into a chair. “No, it’s fine. Besides, lying isn’t going to make things easier.”  
  
Logan walked up and placed a comforting hand on Patton’s shoulder. “I won’t lie, then. I can take a shift so I will be preoccupied.”  
  
“Do you want to go? I don’t mind if you don’t.”  
  
“It seems you don’t want me to, so I am simply trying to make you feel comfortable.”  
  
Patton closed his eyes and leaned back into his chair. “She’s not a bad person. She’s just stubborn and can be… a lot.”  
  
“Then I shall go. There’s no need to cause drama over a simple dinner.” Patton rolled his head over to Logan’s and opened up his eyes. “I think I can manage that much, at least.”  
  
“Don’t say I didn’t warn ya. She’s a handful, even for me. And I can make copies of myself!”

**\---**  
  
The day was colder than most recent ones, making Roman regret his decisions the second he took a step off the bus and made his way down a couple of blocks. The slight winds chilled him down to the bone as he let out a slight shiver, wishing it was just a little bit warmer. He was still dressed for work, a button down shirt that stylishly had the sleeves rolled up until recently and some of his nicer dress pants. His hair was even slicked back a little more than normal, but not to the extent of his hero persona. He fussed a bit with his shirt sleeves as he walked up the walkway to the front door, excited yet nervous as he rang the doorbell then knocked twice.  
  
It creaked open a few seconds later, the middle-aged short woman looked up at him, standing just under his shoulders. “Roman!”  
  
“Hey mom,” Roman smiled as his mother reached out and pulled him into a hug. Roman leaned down and bent his knees to help her out as she stood on the tips of her toes. “Sorry, it’s been so long since I’ve visited.”  
  
“Nonsense! You’re here now. Come on, I was just preparing some dinner!” She walked in and Roman obediently followed, closing the door behind him and kicking off his shoes by the door. “Now, tell me why my boy is all dressed up. You have a special date with that boy of yours tonight?”  
  
Roman chuckled and followed her into the kitchen. “No, I just got off of work.”  
  
“Oh, a new job! What do you do?”  
  
“I work for the city as an assistant receptionist in the--” He cut himself off as his mother turned around, the annoyingly smug look on her face causing him to dramatically sigh as he rolled his eyes. “Yes. I got another boring desk job that has to do with numbers. You happy?”

  
“I told you that degree would help you out. Being an actor isn’t a stable income by itself!”  
  
“I know, I know.” Roman rounded the island in the center of the kitchen and sat on a stool, leaning on the countertop. “It’s hard getting a job as a paying actor all the time and now with a big job it might be impossible to even audition.”  
  
“I’m sure you can work something out, honey,” She pulled out a pot from a cupboard and placed it on the stove. “It’s not that I don’t want you to act! I just want to look out for your best interest, as long as you’re happy.”  
  
“I know, I know,” Roman moaned begrudgingly as he rested his arms on the counter. “Besides, you haven’t missed a show of mine yet.”  
  
“I’m just glad you are out of that terrible restaurant. It wasn’t doing you any favors, you were miserable. Those boys were just jealous you were an actual actor.” Roman smirked and rolled his eyes at his mother’s behavior. “Your talents were being wasted!”  
  
“This is why I’m so humble, mama. Thanks for reminding me.” The woman turned around and smirked at her son before rolling her eyes and sighing heavily. “Pretty sure I get the dramatics from dad.”  
  
“Oh, hush,” She started gathering things around the kitchen, bringing a bag of potatoes to the sink to wash off. “We both know that’s not true. Anyway, how is that boyfriend of yours doing?”

  
Roman watching his mother with a look of suspicion on his face. “Why do you ask?”  
  
She huffed and shook her head, keeping her attention on preparing for dinner. “You’re my son, Roman. I know you well enough to know that if it were up to you, you would be taking that boy around the city and showing him off to anyone you could find. So it’s safe to say that the reason I haven’t met him is that he’s shy. So.” She turned around and grabbed a paring knife off of the wood block before turning to peel the washed potatoes. “Until he feels comfortable enough to come over on his own terms, I will ask some questions and leave the poor boy alone. He has enough to deal with dating you.”  
  
Roman stuttered speechlessly and gasped, holding his hands to his heart. “Elizabeth!”  
  
“Roman!” She spun around quickly, pointing the tiny knife in his direction. “I am your mother!”  
  
“Sorry, mother Elizabeth,” His mother smiled and quickly turned away to attempt to hide it, going back to peeling the potatoes. “He’s doing alright. I guess he’s been stressed out lately but it seems he’s getting better. He had this moment the other day where I think he kind of exploded and got all that stress out of him, though. He’s been very relaxed since, but he’s always a little tense.”  
  
“I would assume he’s stressed out with you running around the city like a superhero every night. You make me worry with that! At least let me know you’re okay once in a while.”   
  
“W-what are you talking about?”  
  
“Honey, what other people in this city has your exact abilities and love for being the hero to save others?” Roman ducked his head and blushed in embarrassment. “I know you’re Prince Charging. It’s pretty obvious, sweetheart. Your sister is still upset you never went to superhero school.”  
  
Roman snorted and smirked. “If there were such a thing, trust me. I’d beg to get in.” He mumbled into his hand and turned back to his mother. Part of him had panicked knowing his mother had discovered his secret, but he wasn’t surprised. His mother was perceptive and clever and there weren’t many people running around the city that could shoot out lightning bolts. He was lucky to have such a supportive mother and that thought alone eased his worries. “So, how close have you been keeping tabs on me?”  
  
“I haven’t much, but I hear you have a fan club now! I’d love to go, though it would be hard to not be proud as they talked about you.” Roman groaned loudly and let his head rest on the counter. “I could edit your baby photos with the mask and show them off!”  
  
“Moooooom…” Roman whined.  
  
“Oh, hush. It’s not like I actually would, as tempting as it is. I would want your okay to go anyway if that’s alright.”  
  
With a sigh, Roman slowly lifted his head up. “Yeah, I’m sure Sam and Sammy wouldn’t mind as long as you don’t give anything away. They run the club.” He watched his mom peel a bit of a potato before smiling. “It’s gonna cost you some dinner, though.”

**\---**  
  
Logan’s apology to Patton was enough for him to smile and let it go. Of course, Logan still kept a close eye on him. Patton knew Logan was still hiding something and he was acting much more reserved than he had usually been, but he was afraid to push the matter. Logan was stubborn almost to a fault. Patton didn’t want to pressure him to talk about something he wasn’t quite ready to discuss in fear of pushing him away further, so he patiently waited. Patton knew a moment would arise where he could talk to Logan, perhaps help ease him a bit as they discussed it. Forcing someone to talk about something when they were not ready wouldn’t do either of them any good.  
  
So, they talked about other things instead. Patton managed to get Logan to go on one of his long-winded rants about something related to Doctor Who. Something about the newest actor taking the role being a woman and how Logan believed it should have happened years ago because ‘the probability of being able to change form and you change into a British male every time is outrageous’. Patton never watched the show but could agree and at least pick up a few things Logan was talking about.  
  
It felt completely normal again between the two, though Logan seemed to try to apologize for almost anything. He seemed lost in his thoughts for one moment before getting up and doing something for Patton a second later. Even going as far as taking one of Patton’s stuffed animals with his psychokinesis and making it dance around the room as if it were alive, causing him to laugh.  
  
When the next day came, Patton still didn’t seem too worried about dinner with his mother, though he offered to just go himself. Logan was nervous but still too stubborn to back out. So Logan and Patton got on the bus and made their way across the city to the outskirts and walked a few blocks to Patton’s old childhood home.  
  
“Are you sure this is alright with you, Patton?”  
  
“Of course. I know my mom is a bit strong but she’s my mom! It’ll be fine!”  
  
Logan nodded and followed after Patton as they passed a few houses, the sun still high in the sky. “Will your father be there?”  
  
“Nah, dad usually works evenings or nights and is asleep all day so even if he’s not working, he probably won’t say much.”   
  
Logan gave a hum to signal he had heard him before staring off as they passed a few more houses. Eventually, Patton spun around and smiled, holding out his arms to the house they were standing in front of. “Tada, we made it!”  
  
The house was small, plain white with pale blue shutters on the windows. The front yard was almost nonexistent but Logan could only wonder how big the backyard looked. “It looks lovely.”  
  
“Yeah, wait til you see the inside. My parents are lame decorators, it’s just photos everywhere.” He almost ran up to the front door and onto the porch, not waiting for Logan before knocking on the door.  
  
By the time Logan caught up and stood behind Patton, the door had creaked open and revealed the shorter woman, who Logan hadn’t seen in a while. “Oh good, you made it!” she said.  
  
“Hey mom.” Patton reached out and wrapped his mother in a big hug. He quickly let go and turned back to Logan. “I brought Logan, just like you asked and asked and asked…”  
  
“Hmph, and it took talking to him to get him here!” Logan awkwardly managed a smile as he stepped in, holding out his arms for the inevitable hug he knew he was going to receive. He remembered first meeting her the day they moved in and how firm she had been on the fact that it would be hugs from here on out. “He learns quickly! Good, come here!”  
  
The hug was quick which Logan was grateful for. He held mixed opinions of Patton’s mother from his experiences and the squeeze she gave didn’t sit right with him. She eagerly led them into the home and Logan paused at the door as Patton made his way in.

Lots of photos were on the walls, some old paintings and some family portraits through the years. It wasn’t hard to find a few different versions of Patton and his parents smiling on the walls. Photos of small Patton as a child smiled in every one, along with his parents. Maggie smiled back happily as well, a much taller and scruffier man had an arm around her shoulders and pulled all of them close. Some were taken with plain backgrounds while some were in front of various homes. Something in the back of Logan’s mind recalled a conversation where Patton mentioned moving a lot as a child. The loneliness had probably played a part in the creation of the pals.  
  
Patton reached out and grabbed Logan’s hand, pulling him further into the house. Logan had to admit, despite how tense he was, seeing Patton eager to show him around was really helping him ease up a bit. “Come on, I want to show you my room before dinner!”  
  
“Be quick about it, it’s almost done!” Patton pulled Logan to the stairs and let go of his hand, running up as quick as he could. Logan followed a bit more slowly behind, grabbing the railing as he went. “Come on, Lo! This way!”  
  
Logan managed to catch Patton waiting outside a closed door, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He was smiling as his hand rested on the door knob, waiting for him to catch up. As soon as he was within arms length, Patton twisted the knob and turned, entering the room.  
  
Honestly, Logan wasn’t very surprised. The room was almost exactly what he had expected. The small twin sized bed held a plethora of stuffed animals, much more than his one at home had. There was almost no room to sit on it, but the quilt underneath poked through. A cartoon dinosaur poked out from behind the plush animals, Logan almost missed it at first glance. He walked over to the bed, inspecting it curiously.  
  
“Oh, of course…” He mumbled and sighed, pushing a plush out of the way. A cartoon dino was printed on the pillow case, a big speech bubble taking up most of the space. ‘Time to Dino-snore!’ stared back at Logan, threatening to burn into his retinas. He pulled his hand away and turned around, taking in the rest of the room. The walls seemed faded in spots where old posters must have once taken residence, the shelves filled with old trophies and random things. Snowglobes and more stuffed animals took residence, slightly covered in dust from the years of sitting there. The entire thing just screamed warm and child, but Logan still smiled at the things he hadn’t expected. A few board games he wondered if Patton played with the pals, a star chart hanging on a wall, even a science fair project that had an award hanging off of it. The bookcase made him smile the most. It was completely filled to the brim with books and there even seemed to be a type of system in place to organize them.   
  
Patton came over and found Logan inspecting the back of one of his older books, a dashing thief with incredible luck being wrapped up in a mess involving gods and things that defy all logic, but it was a fun book Patton had enjoyed as a kid. “Well?” Logan jumped and looked up, staring down at him. “What do you think?”  
  
Logan replaced the book back into its proper place. “I must admit, while it is a lot of what I expected, you always manage to surprise me.”  
  
“Really? I work in a library, I didn’t think my love for books was any secret.” Patton shrugged and spun around, taking in his old room. “I kind of left it after high school started, I didn’t really bother updating it.”  
  
Logan watched Patton stare at certain things, his eyes darting around as he started to get lost in his own thoughts. “How about we go back downstairs, hmm? You can show me everything later, after we eat.”

**\---**

Falling back gracefully onto the couch, Roman groaned and placed a hand on his forehead. “I can’t go on! It’s too much!”  
  
“Pretty sure that’s just you.”  
  
“Please! Virgil, I need you to come closer before I slip away.”  
  
Virgil sighed and used his elbows to push himself off of the floor where he had been laying on his back. “Roman, you’re not dying.”  
  
“But I’m boooooored.”  
  
“Then go do something.” Virgil carefully fell back onto the floor.

  
“Virgiiiiiil.” The purple haired man took a moment to breathe. “Viiiiiirgiiiiil!”

  
“What, Roman?”  
  
“I’m bored, let’s go do something.”  
  
“I’m kind of busy.”  
  
Roman sat up from the couch and watched as Virgil laid down on his back on the floor, holding his phone up while he tapped away. “Doing what?”  
  
“Nothing.”  
  
“You’re busy… doing nothing.”  
  
“Yep.” Virgil let the ‘p’ out with a pop, not bothering to look away.  
  
Roman sat up and stomped his feet onto the ground. “VIRGIL!”  
  
His boyfriend jumped, dropping the phone in his surprise and flinching as it landed onto his face. He reached up and removed it, rubbing his nose with his other hand as he did so. “What was that for?”  
  
“Would you really rather spend time on your phone than with me?”  
  
Virgil sat up and watched Roman’s distraught look before he sighed, letting his shoulders sag. “Roman, we’re out almost every night so you can be a hero and then we go to work the next day. Is it really so much to ask to just relax for a night?”  
  
“I’m not…” Roman blushed a bit in embarrassment as Virgil huffed from his spot on the floor. “I’m not saying you can’t do nothing, but can’t we, I don’t know…” He looked up at Virgil to gauge his reaction. “Do nothing together?”  
  
“That’s what we were doing.”  
  
“No, it’s not!” Roman pulled his legs back onto the couch and looked away. “You were doing nothing over there without me.”  
  
Virgil stood up and dusted off his ripped jeans before walking over to the couch. “So, if I do nothing with you over here, you’ll be satisfied?” Roman stubbornly didn’t react before shrugging and nodding his head. “Good, move over and put something on, then.”  
  
“I knew you’d see things my way.”  
  
Virgil sat down and looked at Roman with an intense glare. “Keep it up and I’m freezing time and using you as a pillow to take a nap.”  
  
 **\---**

Maggie didn’t hide her excitement when they entered the room, dinner was set out across the table as she ran around gathering the final touches. “Just about ready, you boys can dig in!”  
  
Patton brought Logan over to the table and pointed to a chair for him to sit before pulling out the chair on the left.   
  
Patton smiled and started handing things to Logan, easing the tension he wasn’t aware he was holding. Maggie brought over glasses of water and sat them down before running off once more with a smile. “See?” Patton leaned in and whispered. “I told you it would be fine.”  
  
Logan gave a hum in response but still didn’t seem absolutely sure. By the time Patton’s mother sat down and joined them, Patton and Logan had already begun and their dinner continued on in a reasonably comfortable silence.  
  
After a bit of time had passed and they had eaten most of what was on their plates, Logan could tell Maggie was almost ready to explode with the questions she was holding in. She kept glancing up at him when she thought he wasn’t looking and it didn’t take him reading her mind to figure out why. “This is lovely, thank you for having us.”  
  
Logan saw the relief on her face, excited to be given the opportunity to speak. “Why thank you, dear! Eat up, there’s plenty left.”  
  
“Of course.”  
  
“I hear my Patton has been teaching y’all to cook for a while now!”  
  
With a nod, Logan dabbed a napkin on his face. “Yes, he has. I have taught him a little bit of baking in return.”  
  
Gasping in delight, Patton turned toward his mother. “I can make cookies and they’re so good! I need to make them for you sometime!”  
  
“Oh, I would love that! Does it take you long?”  
  
Patton’s smile seemed a bit off as he shook his head. “Not at all! It’s pretty easy.”  
  
“Just seems like something that would take a few hands to do.”  
  
“Not at all.” Logan wasn’t sure what social cues he had missed, but he felt like something had passed him by without notice. “It takes one person to bake cookies in a short amount of time, even if you’re not adept at baking yourself.”  
  
“That’s great to hear! Good, good.” She poked down at her plate with a fork. “So, Logan, what do you do for work? You work in a bakery?”  
  
“I have relatives that own one, yes. I worked there when I was younger and recently terminated another job that was leaving me unnecessarily stressed. It will suffice until I can get another job that is more fitting.”  
  
“That sounds wonderful!” Maggie ‘s face lit up as Logan talked, genuinely interested in what he had to say.  
  
It was so strange. From the outside, he knew what she could be like, but the woman in front of him now was warm and comforting. She listened and never pushed, but Logan couldn’t stop thinking about that one moment where she had somehow made Patton uncomfortable. As they talked, Logan had noticed Patton had gone pretty silent which began to worry him. He glanced over before reaching and placing a hand on Patton’s that he had under the table. Patton perked up and smiled, lacing their fingers together.  
  
Maggie began cleaning up the table and told them to sit while she prepared dessert, leaving them alone momentarily.  
  
Logan waited until her back was turned before taking the opportunity to lean over and whisper. “Hey, are you alright?”  
  
Patton nodded and kept his eyes on his mother. “Yeah, it’s gone great so far but…” Biting his lip, he finally looked up at Logan. “She’s really anxious about something, I can feel it.”  
  
Logan simply hummed and watched as she turned back, holding a pie in her hands. “Well! Look at you two.” Logan blushed and pulled away from Patton a bit, sitting properly in his chair. “I hope you have some room left!” She placed it down onto the table and smiled at Logan. “It won’t be as good as what you’re used to, I’m sorry. It’s store bought and nothing beats a fresh one from a good bakery!”  
  
“I’ll try not to hold it against you this time,” he joked as she grabbed a few plates. “Pie is a bit tricky at times.”  
  
“I’m still excited, pie is pie!” Patton said as he reached out and cut himself a slice. Logan rolled his eyes. “Though if you want to show me what a real pie should taste like, I’m up for that.”  
  
“Of course, but perhaps we should cut back on the sweets?”  
  
Patton pouted and stuck his tongue out before taking a bite of the pie.  
  
“He’s right, sweety, you eat like you have more than one stomach!” Patton winced at the words and turned to his plate. Logan looked between the two, noticing how tense it became once more. “Would you like some, Logan?”  
  
He didn’t answer, staring down Patton’s mother a moment before his eyes widened. “Why did you say that?”  
  
“Say what, dear?”  
  
Logan huffed and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “You know, I think I finally figured out why Patton didn’t want me here.”  
  
Patton gasped and jumped out of his chair. “That’s not true! Mom, that’s not true.”   
  
Logan remained defiant in his seat while Margaret looked between the two, baffled. “What is going on? We were having a lovely evening, what is this all about?”  
  
“I’m not quite sure, Maggie, why don’t you tell me?” Logan leaned forward onto the table and folding his hands together as he frowned. “Why are you bringing your son down for no reason?”  
  
“Excuse me?!”  
  
Patton reached down and lightly placed a hand on Logan’s arm. “Hey, it’s alright.”  
  
Logan looked up at him and his anger melted away. “Does she do this to you often?”  
  
“Well-”  
  
“Is this the joke about his appetite? I meant no harm by it. Really! He's a healthy boy.” Maggie huffed and placed her hands on her hips.  
  
“It’s not his appetite you were commenting on and you know it.” Logan stood up from his seat and reached out for Patton. “We can go if you’re feeling uncomfortable.”  
  
“Excuse me, I don’t appreciate you coming into my house and acting as if you know everything. My son is his own person! Patton, I don’t think I like you with this boy.”  
  
“Yes! That’s the point! He is his own person,” Logan stood in front of Patton protectively. “So let him make his own choices and stop beating him down for being who he is.”  
  
“You don’t know everything about him, you hardly know him! I’m his mother!”  
  
“Will you two STOP IT?!” Patton broke away from both of them, wrapping his arms around himself. “I don’t like the yelling so just… knock it off!”  
  
Patton’s shout had shut them both down immediately, ending the argument they had started. Maggie was in shock, rarely having heard her son raise his voice in such a way. She was ready to reach out and comfort him but was beaten by Logan who gently placed an arm around Patton.

  
“Yes, I’m sorry,” Logan was quick to apologize. “I just got rather upset, I wasn’t thinking. I apologize.”  
  
Patton turned toward his mother who looked red in the face. Whether it was from the anger and yelling or from embarrassment, no one could tell. The room was swirling with negative emotions coming from Patton and it made them feel fuzzy. “I’m sorry, mom, but I think we’re going home.”  
  
“For a silly joke? Patty, don’t you think you’re overreacting a bit?”  
  
Logan took a step forward once more, staring the woman down. “I know about Patton’s abilities.” The room felt quiet as everyone tensed, staring at Logan in shock. “I understand those subtle little comments you make toward him and I do not appreciate it.”  
  
Maggie frowned and bared her teeth in her rage. “You know? He told you?!” Patton pulled back and looked up, ashamed. “So, what? You’re dating him because he’s interesting? Are you threatening him to be with you? Gonna tell others if he doesn’t go out with you?”  
  
“Oh, would you give it a rest?!” Logan raised his voice for the second time that night. “Not everyone is like that stupid anti-prince group! Not everyone is out to get rid of anyone that is different!”  
  
“They’re just getting rid of that menace running around the city!” Margaret froze at her words, quickly turning toward her son.  
  
Patton was frozen, staring at his mother in shock as his jaw unclenched. “Mom…” He took a step forward, finally standing in front of Logan. “You’re a part of it, aren’t you? Please tell me you're not.”  
  
She quickly shook her head. “Patton, listen-”  
  
“No,” Patton shook his head and his voice cracked as he spoke. “No, you don’t get it, do you? They’re not going to just stop once they’re done.” He used his sleeves to wipe at his eyes quickly, not wanting to turn away from his mother and seem weak. “Once they get rid of Prince Charging, they’re going to look for the next target!”  
  
“He’s right,” Logan spoke softly, rubbing Patton’s back, just as upset as his own eyes watered. Logan wasn’t sure if it was his anxieties or Patton’s sadness radiating from him to cause the tears. “They know that if there’s one person with abilities in the city, there could be more. They’ll go on a witch hunt once they’re done. They’ll come after  _both of us_ next.”  
  
Logan looked up and saw Maggie’s face blanch pale as she held a hand over her mouth. “W-wait. Both. As in you both…?” Logan nodded and turned to Patton who looked up at his mother once more. “Oh, honey.”  
  
“No,” Patton blinked rapidly and wiped his palms against his damp cheeks. “I’ve begged you for years to understand. I listened to you and pretended I didn't have these powers. I kept away from other kids growing up because I was afraid I’d let it slip. I’m done, I can’t…” Patton felt his throat close up and he turned away, unable to speak without risking a sob coming loose.  
  
“The fact of the matter is, Margaret, your son asked you to not understand, but to accept him. Just an ounce of respect.”  
  
“I do!”  
  
“Words!” Logan growled out. “ _Words_ are one thing,  _actions_ are another. You say you do, but you don’t act like it.” Logan looked down at Patton who had his face covered in his sleeves. “Come on, I can get us home.”  
  
Margaret didn’t stop them as they turned and walked out. She opened her mouth to speak before her jaw clenched up, falling speechless. It wasn’t until after the front door had closed that she sprang into action, ripping it open quickly as she spotted them walking down the street. “PATTON!” She stepped onto the porch and ran down the pathway. “PATTON!” Logan looked back and she froze in fear, his eyes shining bright, flashing between a gold and menacing blue before he turned away. “Oh, Patton…”

**\---**

Virgil let out a low whistle as Logan finished retelling a vague story about the evenings' events. “Wow, I knew she was kind of a bitch but really?” Logan nodded and turned to Patton’s bedroom door. Roman was currently in there giving Patton some emotional support since Logan had been drained by the time they had come home. “Joining the club trying to attack Roman? How would that help Patton?”  
  
“I don’t know, but I’m sure she had some messed up reason.” Logan removed his glasses and ran a hand through his hair as he leaned forward on the couch, resting his arms on his knees. “I feel terrible for lashing out but she was just…” He growled angrily at the thought of what had happened. “It’s so subtle and it’s obvious Patton is used to it. I’m so angry I didn’t notice the first time she said something!” He scoffed and turned away. “A few hands to bake some cookies, I’m sure.”  
  
Virgil’s nose scrunched up in distaste. “And that was in front of you! Imagine what she’s said to Patton when they’re alone.” Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. Logan frowned deeper, clenching his fists as his eyes threatened to light up. He caught himself and took in a deep breath. “Wow, she’s really gotten you fired up.”  
  
“It’s mostly that but… it’s everything! My parents, the situation with Thomas, and now this?”  
  
“You need to chill out, Lo.” Logan put his glasses back on and looked to Virgil. “You’re acting like a dick again, just like you did before.”  
  
“What do you mean by ‘before’?”  
  
Virgil crossed his arms and stared at the ceiling. “Remember when we found out it was because of you we all lived together?” He glanced at Logan and saw the man nod. “You’ve been losing control of your powers a little bit again. We figured out that it was because you were withholding your emotions and not expressing yourself, remember?”  
  
“Patton mentioned that might have a negative effect on me.” Logan nodded to himself. “I suppose… I suppose I hadn’t realized, have I really been doing that?”  
  
Virgil sighed and blew at his bangs before letting them fall back into place. “Let’s see… you’re acting like a controlling moron, holding in your emotions, not asking for help with your problems… short of me storming out of here, it’s exactly like before.” Virgil watched as Logan was deep in thought about everything that had been happening lately. Finally, he let his head fall into his hands with a loud groan. Virgil smiled. “There we go.”  
  
“You’re absolutely right.”  
  
“Always nice to hear.”  
  
“I am an idiot.”  
  
“There it is. How does it feel to say it out loud?”  
  
“Terrible,” Logan lifted his head from his hands and stared at Virgil, shaken from his realization. “What do I do?”  
  
Virgil hummed before he nodded his head toward the door. “Tell Patton. Oh, and probably apologize to Thomas and explain it to him too, if you want bonus points.”  
  
Logan nodded and stood up, walking to the door before he lost his nerve. He hesitated for a moment before he heard Virgil clear his throat loudly, urging him to continue. With a quick knock, he opened it and peered inside.  
  
Patton was on his bed surrounded by all his blankets and the few spare stuffed animals he kept with him. Roman sat on the bed, one arm wrapped around his shoulders as he held him comfortingly.   
  
“Hey, specs,” Roman spoke in a softer tone. “You feeling any better?”  
  
“Frankly, no. There’s something I’ve kept from the two of you and I told Virgil to keep it secret. Honestly, it’s been weighing heavily on me and may accredit to my behavior lately.” Logan closed the door behind him. “I know it’s not the best time, but I know you should hear it…”  
  
“Logan.” Looking up, Patton was giving a small smile while he reached out with his hand. “Come here.” Logan slowly and awkwardly made his way over before sitting on the edge of the bed. “Logan, why didn’t you want to tell us?”  
  
“It, uh… It’s… not something I’m rather proud of.” Glancing up, he saw Roman watching on with interest while Patton nodded eagerly, encouraging him to continue. “I’m afraid of… of what you’ll think of me after.”  
  
“But you told Virgil?” Roman whispered.  
  
“Virgil wouldn’t…” Logan sighed and turned away. “He’s made his own mistakes, I knew he wouldn’t judge me for mine. I knew I could share it with him and he would be honest.”  
  
“Well,” Patton reached out and grabbed Logan’s hand. “We’re willing to hear you out, too. We love you, Logan, we’re like a family.” Logan smiled briefly at his words. “Whenever you are ready, we will listen.”  
  
“I am, if you are,” Logan watched Patton and Roman nod before Patton tugged on his hand, pulling him further onto the bed. Logan adjusted himself accordingly and stared down at his hands, anxious about another retelling of his darkest moment. Taking in a slow breath, he prepared himself mentally, the image of that night still fresh in his mind. “It’s about my parents…” 


	14. Time to Unwind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the dinner with Patton’s mom, the discovery of Clyde, discovering Logan’s aggressive need to train Thomas on top of everything else... the poor boys just take a day to be normal and relax.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. I moved. Life was hectic. Have an 11k chapter to make up for it.

  


The soft tones of Patton’s alarm pulled him from his sleep at the exact time it did every morning, bright and early before anyone else even stirred. He rolled over and shut it off before blinking and taking in the sun barely peeking through his window. It was his day off, but that usually didn’t keep him in bed for too long. Going through the list of things he had to do today, Patton stared up at the ceiling, not reaching for his glasses or even making an attempt to get up.

 

Usually, the mornings started with Patton making breakfast for everyone. While it wasn’t something he did every day, it was pretty standard for his days off at least. Someone else would then make dinner those days as a trade-off. Then he would pick up around the apartment a bit, perhaps go out and enjoy the weather or stay inside with a movie. Two and Three could join him on the couch and they could all talk about whatever they had chosen to watch. Though, more and more recently, it felt like Patton pushed those relaxing moments to the side in favor of a never ending backlog of chores that needed tending to soon.

 

But Patton didn’t move. He knew he had laundry piling up. He knew he could run to the store for a few more things. He knew he would already be up before the others to make breakfast for everyone. They were things Patton did almost every day, but today, he did not move. Instead, Patton rolled over, pulling in his blanket closer, and closed his eyes once more.

 

It was the sound of noise in the kitchen that awoke him the second time. Bleary eyes tried to focus on anything as Patton groaned and stretched, staring at the clock in hopes he could figure out what time it was. Reaching for his glasses, he blinked and noticed about two hours had passed since he had shut off his alarm and the sun shined from a much higher position in the sky and through his window. Despite the fact, he didn’t want to get up just yet; the lack of energy and motivation weighed heavier on him today than it normally would.

 

Yesterday’s events with his mother and Logan started to creep back into the forefront of his mind. It had been a bit rough and the whole situation just left Patton exhausted. He was glad Logan stood up for him, absolutely! He was less thrilled that it was because of his own mother.

 

Patton loved his mom and he knew she loved him back without question. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind about that! She was always the first one to help him out when he needed a hand and she always called to make sure he was doing okay, letting him know that there will always be room for him in case something bad happened. Then there was her attitude toward his powers and the Patton Pals...

 

_“Oh, Patton sweetie, it’s mom. This is you, right? You know what I mean. It's the real you, right?"_

 

His mom wasn’t perfect and he understood her worries. When she sat him down as a child and explained that not everyone would understand his abilities, it was out of love. When she told him that people would hurt him for being who he was, she meant it to protect him. She would never do anything to hurt him. Not physically, and definitely not on purpose. Patton shut his eyes, feeling a headache starting to form as he rubbed his head. The last thing he needed on top of everything else was a headache.

 

Patton lay, debating whether or not he should get up, before the sound of laughter from the kitchen made up his mind. Sulking in his room all day after everything that had happened the day before wasn’t how he wanted to spend his time, and Roman’s loud, boisterous laughter was something he could enjoy to cheer himself up.

 

The blanket from his bed was coming with him, though.

 

“I told you to sit down,” a voice called out from the kitchen as Patton approached. It sounded tired and slightly irritated, just like Virgil on mornings in which he hadn’t slept nearly enough. Patton walked in, pulling his blanket from his bed around him tighter and spotted Roman sitting at the dining table in a huff as Virgil was at the stove, cooking. “It’ll be done in a minute.”

 

Roman leaned back in his chair and looked up, spotting Patton standing in the doorway. “Hey, Pat!” Virgil stopped and turned to look over his shoulder, smiling. “You sleep okay?”

 

Patton’s response was a shrug before he walked across the kitchen to see what Virgil was cooking. “Yeah, sorry. I kind of slept in,” He spotted a perfectly sized pancake sitting in the pan, a small stack on a plate on the countertop next to them. “I can take over if you want.”

 

Virgil watched Patton closely, his eyes trailing up to the terrible bedhead and back down to the blanket wrapped around him before shaking his head. “Nah, I got it.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

Virgil flipped the pancake before moving it to the finished stack and turning back to Patton. “Do you really want to cook instead of staying in that warm blanket?” Patton shuffled his feet and went to answer before stopping and shaking his head slightly. He knew better than to try and lie to Virgil, and he really wasn’t feeling up to it, that much was obvious. “Then sit down and I’ll bring you a plate.”

 

Despite the complaints Roman was giving just before Patton had walked in, he was silent when Virgil placed down a plate of pancakes on the table for Patton to eat first. He frowned and pulled his arms out of his blanket before pushing the plate towards Roman.

 

“Oh, no you don’t,” Roman pushed the plate back across the table. “We’ve had Virgil’s pancakes before, remember? They’re super good and worth the wait. Go ahead.”

 

Patton smiled and gave in, not really in the mood to argue, especially knowing he wouldn’t win. “Thanks, Roman. It’s nice to be served breakfast once in a while.”

 

“I thought you liked cooking breakfast?” Patton looked over to Virgil as he stared back confused, before flipping over the pancake he had cooking. “You are always up before all of us to make it.”

 

“Well, yeah, but…” Patton paused, poking at the fluffy pancake. “It’s nice to not have to cook every day, you know?”

 

“Patton,” The tone of Roman’s voice caused him to look up apprehensively, Roman’s serious expression justifying his worry. He leaned in closer to Patton and stared him down with a pout. “Answer me honestly. Do you even like cooking breakfast?”

 

“Of course!” He smiled at Roman. “You all enjoy it and it’s worth seeing you all happy and knowing you’re all fed for the day!”

 

“But do you _enjoy_ cooking it?” Patton’s smile faltered and Roman leaned back with a sigh, getting his answer. “Patton, if you don’t like cooking every day, why do you do it?”

 

“I didn’t say-” Roman shot him a look that caused him to stutter. “W-well, because…” Patton licked his lips, suddenly realizing how dry his mouth was. “It makes you guys happy.”

 

“That’s it,” Virgil finally chimed in, placing Roman’s pancakes on the table with a little more force than necessary. “Starting from today, you are banned from cooking anyone else besides yourself breakfast!”

 

“Virgil-”

 

“No! No arguing over this, we’re all adults. We can cook for ourselves; you need to take care of yourself, Patton.” Virgil leaned on the table and Roman pulled his plate closer and out of the way, looking at the pancakes like they were a precious treasure. “You don’t have to look out for us, especially since you’re so bad at doing it for yourself.”

 

“He’s got a point, padre,” Roman reached for the syrup and started to drown his pancakes. “Just wait until Logan comes back out for a new cup of coffee and we tell him you’ve been doing all these extra chores that you don’t like.”

 

“It’s not that I don’t like them!” Patton tugged on his blanket that he was sitting on and laid across his lap. “It’s just… I could use a nice distraction once in a while and they have to get done.”

 

“No excuses! Now, sit and eat those pancakes. If I see you or any of the Pals doing chores today, you’ll have to deal with me,” Virgil pushed off of the table and went back to the stove to make more pancakes, Roman digging in and letting out a sigh of contentment as he took his first bite.

 

Patton gave in and started eating, enjoying the pancakes as they tasted just as good as they had looked. They ate in relative silence, Virgil eating his pancakes by rolling them up and dipping them in syrup, much to Roman’s chagrin.

 

“That is not the proper way to eat a pancake!” Roman scolded. In response, Virgil looked up and smirked, lifting up the pancake he had been currently eating and moving it over his glass of orange juice. “Wait, no. Don’t you dare-” Virgil happily dunked his pancake and tapped it against the side of the glass to stop the dripping before taking a bite. “Eww, that is foul! Why are you like this?”

 

Patton laughed and enjoyed his meal while watching his roommates bicker back and forth. He stood up and went to wash his plate until Roman shot out of his chair. He took the dishes from Patton’s hands and told him to go sit down before walking to the sink to rinse them off. Patton went to complain before Virgil cleared his throat to get his attention, shooting him a look. Not one to argue, Patton sighed and gave in, taking his comfy blanket and pulling it close, walking over to the couch in the living room.

 

Roman walked out and smiled at Patton. “You just gonna sit there all day? You deserve some time to relax, ya know.”

 

Patton shrugged and fell over, wrapping himself up like a blanket burrito and smiling up at Roman. “Probably not all day, but relaxing a bit wouldn’t hurt.”

 

“Good,” Virgil walked in and smiled at Patton. “If I find out you’ve done any chores, I won’t hesitate to time travel back here if you do.”

 

“You wouldn’t pop in on your pop, would you?” Virgil snorted out a short laugh and went into his room with a wave to get ready for work. “Well, you have to work as well, right Roman?”

 

“Yes, unfortunately. Logan as well, so you’ll have the whole place to yourself for a bit. Speaking of, I should probably get going.” Roman walked over near the front door to his shoes and shoved them on. “Do rest for a while, Patton. At least just for today, please?” Roman watched Patton shift and pull his legs closer, still wrapped in the warm blanket. Once he saw the slight nod, Roman smirked and waved goodbye, heading for the door. He paused as he passed by Virgil’s door before knocking. “Virgil, dearest, I am off! I will count the minutes until we meet again!”

 

“Just go to work, Roman,” Virgil called from behind the door, offending his boyfriend. Roman jokingly huffed and turned, walking out the front door.

 

Patton watched the door clicked shut behind Roman before losing himself in his thoughts. He knew how to relax, of course; it wasn’t like he was _always_ running around and keeping himself busy. Yet, this time felt different somehow. Everything felt like it took more out of him to do today. Simply getting up and eating and getting to the couch felt like it took twice as much effort than it should have. He felt heavy, and it wasn’t the blanket he wrapped himself in. The blanket was warm and comforting to him as he sat there wrapped up and resting, but he could already feel the itch to move. To get up and search the house for something to do, perhaps buy groceries they didn’t necessarily need, clean up a mess he didn’t make. When had he changed like this? Where just after a few minutes of sitting around, he started thinking of things to distract himself?

 

The creaking of a door opening pulled Patton out of his thoughts, watching as Virgil carefully closed the door while slinging a backpack over his shoulder. Virgil always brought the bag to work to stash his hoodie away when he had to do more heavy lifting, but Patton hadn’t really ever seen him take it off. “Alright.” Virgil shifted the strap on his shoulder and gave a small salute to Patton on the couch. “I’m out. I hope you don’t get too bored, okay? Call me if you need anything.”

 

Patton gave a nod and smiled before reaching out to the coffee table for the remote to turn on the TV. Virgil quickly headed out the door to work in order to let Patton enjoy some alone time.

 

Virgil stepped out onto the porch and caught a glimpse to his left before pulling the door behind him shut. He stood in his spot as his eyes swept over the empty porch a few times, checking for whatever he had seen. Virgil took a step away from the door, still looking to the other side of the porch, before letting out a sigh. “I saw you, there’s no point in hiding.”

 

It took just long enough that Virgil started to doubt himself before Clyde suddenly appeared on the porch, dropping his invisibility. “Well, aren’t you so clever?”

 

“Trying to hide from someone?”

 

Clyde scrunched his nose in distaste before turning back to watch the road, leaning on the railing. “Not you, my aunt. She can be so wonderful and supportive and it’s nice and utterly suffocating.” Clyde glared as he stared out at nothing. “I just needed to get away, not that you care.”

 

“Who said I don’t care?”

 

Clyde pushed himself off of the railing and looked at Virgil, raising an eyebrow in confusion. “Oh?” Clearing his throat, he placed his hand on his chest and took a deep breath. _“You do anything I don’t like, I’m leaving you in frozen time.”_ Virgil blinked back, his jaw dropping. That was his voice! Or at least, it sounded a lot like it, but it came from Clyde? “That sound familiar to you?”

 

“Holy hell, how did you do that?” Virgil perked up as he grew excited as his mind started to come up with possibilities. “Is that a part of your power? You can look and sound like other people?!”

 

With a scoff, Clyde turned away and shook his head. “As if. I just learned how to imitate people’s voices, it helps with the impersonations if I also mimic their voices.”

 

“So it’s just a normal skill? Wait, is that how you tricked Patton into thinking you were Logan?”

 

“Well, obviously,” Clyde easily switched into his Logan impression, his mannerisms changing with it as well as he straightened out his back and pretended to adjust a tie he was not wearing. “ _That can only be the most logical solution, could it not?_ ”

 

Virgil felt his hair stand on end as he shivered. “That’s… really impressive, actually.”

 

“You’re not welcome,” the younger man turned back to lean on the banister and stare out at the road. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?”

 

“I can make time,” Virgil smirked as he earned a scoff from the teen who then rolled his eyes. “So if it’s not part of your powers, is there anything else cool you can do?”

 

Clyde turned and watched Virgil curiously before shaking his head. “Why do you care?”

 

“Oh, come on! Superpowers are cool, and you kind of already know all about mine, remember? Only seems fair.”

 

Shaking his head, Clyde pushed off of the banister once more and walked over to Virgil slowly and carefully, almost as if he was afraid the other would lash out at him at any moment. “I was under the impression you hated having powers?”

 

“Oh,” Virgil frowned and shoved his hands in his pockets, feeling the strap of his backpack threatening to fall. “Well, I just don’t personally like having them myself, you know? Like, society already has enough things to hate me for. Just look at me. I like to wear punk clothing, I’m a bi dude dating a guy...” He reached for the strap of his backpack and grabbed it, pulling it back up higher on his shoulder as it had started to slide. “Having powers really doesn’t help.”

 

“And yet…” Clyde turned and started walking back to the other end of the porch. “And yet you give them things to be mad at us about. You let Roman run around like a buffoon in a mask.”

 

“Hey, that’s my boyfriend you’re talking about! Besides, he’s just helping-”

 

“How is that helping anyone?!” Clyde sneered, baring his teeth as he spoke. “People will come after him, then us! They won’t stop, and he will slip up! He will get caught and we’re just one step away! After us, who else is next? We can’t be the only people in the world with abilities! We are drastically, hopelessly outnumbered and it’s all because one person can’t contain his stupid ego!”

 

Clyde hasn’t realized when he started yelling, but now that he had finished his tangent, he couldn’t seem to catch his breath. Looking over at Virgil, he froze. He couldn’t tell if the man was angry or not, his expression stoic as he stared back. Virgil went to speak and Clyde flinched, stepping back and expecting the worst. The action caused Virgil to hesitate a moment before speaking.

 

“I’m not saying I agree with Roman. I’d rather pretend I live a normal life like I didn’t have powers, but I do. You can understand where he’s coming from. He feels outnumbered and he wants to prove himself to anyone who will listen that we aren’t wrong or freaks, whether they believe us or not. That’s the reality we live in.” Listening to Virgil closely, Clyde loosened up a bit. “Society will find ways to damn us, whether we had these abilities or not, so there’s no use in pretending and blaming our powers for everything. Besides, Logan thinks they were formed based on our wishes when we were younger. You can’t say you never have used them and you can’t say you will stop, because I’ve tried.” Virgil’s voice cracked a pinch and he cleared his throat as he continued on. “I tried living without them, so has Patton and so has Logan, and you know what? You can’t just stop forever, because they’re a part of you. Whether you want them to be or not.”

 

The door to Virgil’s apartment opened up and Logan walked out, his polo and tie signifying he was headed to work at the bookstore. Logan paused and looked between the two before staring at Virgil, who had not turned away from Clyde. “Virgil? I thought you had already left, you’ll be late for work.”

 

“I can manage, don’t worry.” With that, Virgil vanished in an instant between the two, Logan a bit shocked he had so openly used his abilities without hesitation in front of someone else, even if they knew about them.

 

“Well, then,” Logan glanced at Clyde and nodded his head in a greeting. “I must be off, do try and stay out of trouble.” Logan turned and walked down the few steps connecting the porch to the sidewalk, not even sparing a second glance back at the teen.

 

\---

 

Patton had given up flipping through the channels, instead just leaving the TV on for background noise while he scrolled through his phone. That lasted about ten minutes before he dropped it and let out a loud groan, pulling the blanket up to cover his face. He was so bored and lonely and everyone else was at work except for him! Why did he have to have today off of all days? He knows he told Virgil he would rest, but he was so stir crazy, it wasn’t _helping_.

 

“Come on, there’s got to be something I can do!” Patton sat up and shut his eyes, the familiar warmth and bright light he was used to as he split apart off into his Pals. He blinked and looked over at Two and Three holding on to each other to make sure neither fell. “Guuuuuys, I’m bored.”

 

“Yeah, so are we!” Two let go of Three who brushed himself off. “We are parts of you, remember?”

 

“Yeah, but maybe we can do stuff together!”

 

Three reached over for the remote and started flipping through the channels as Patton had done earlier. “Like what?”

 

Patton shrugged and looked up at Two with an inquisitive look. “What do you suggest?”

 

“I am literally a part of you, why would I have an idea if you don’t?” Patton started to frown and Two sighed. “Okay, sorry, I know. That was mean. Um, we could… just talk a bit?”

 

“Hey, Patton.” Three turned and smiled at the other two. “Remember when we were younger and you made me and Two kiss because you wanted to know what it would be like?”

 

Patton flushed and his face grew beet red before he jumped up and stuck out his hand, pulling Three back in and causing the remote to drop to the floor. “We don’t have to talk about that!”

 

Two snickered and looked to the television, watching as the news headline scrolled across the screen. “Hey, they’re doing a report on Roman, I think.”

 

Patton watched as Two picked up the remote and turned up the volume a bit.

 

“-claims that the Prince could be potentially dangerous. While most reports around the masked crusader are usually those thanking him for his actions, there have been small instances where people have claimed that they have been attacked by the vigilante. With conflicting reports from both sides and Prince Charging nowhere in sight to defend himself, it seems most people have been split down the middle. While it seems most of the city praises the vigilante for his actions, there is a group against him that is calling for his arrest stating that his actions are unlawful and putting others at risk. Our sources-”

 

Patton reached for the remote and Two quickly handed it over to prevent from being pulled back in. The television shut off and they stared at the blank screen reflecting their images back at them.

 

“Virgil said to relax.” Patton tossed the remote onto the couch where he had abandoned his blanket. “So enough of that for now.”

 

“Yeah,” Two nodded, still staring at the blank screen. “Yeah, that’s probably for the best. We can worry about what that group is up to another day.”

 

 _That group._ Patton frowned and Two felt the heavy pit in both of their stomachs. It wasn’t just ‘that group’ anymore, was it? Not after their discovery last night. Patton would rather stay a little ignorant about what his mother was up to in her spare time, at least, for now.

 

\---

 

“Margaret, you’re back!”

 

Maggie smiled as she was welcomed warmly after entering the building. They had stopped just holding meetings and had started to use this spare office space one of the members had access to as sort of a base of operations. The more Prince Charging was active, the more they realized weekly meetings would no longer be able to cut it.

 

Maggie smiled and greeted everyone like she always did, though this time with a heavy weight of guilt on her. Each face was an acquaintance, or perhaps a friend she had met over the past few weeks. That was the lie she told herself every time she came in. They were also after someone just like her son. Logan’s words sat in the back of her mind, making her feel anxious for a future she was unsure of. After Prince Charging, would Patton and Logan be next? Who was to say it stopped there? Why should it get that far? This Prince must have been another poor mother’s son, surely. What does she think? What about the Prince; what was he after? Did he really think what he was doing was helping others? She wasn’t sure, and she still wasn’t ready to believe that to be the truth.

 

Maggie stopped and stared at the big map they had posted on the wall. Across were pins that marked places Prince Charging had been spotted. A few businesses, some random back roads, an alley here or there. It was sporadic, but over time, some places seemed more active than others. It was already showing a pattern of where he frequented and where he could be found. She was unsure of what they planned on doing with this information as it wasn’t as openly discussed, but she started to feel uneasy about it now. Why was it such a secret that they didn’t discuss it? More importantly, why did she seem okay with that up until now? Always following and never questioning, believing in what she was doing to be right.

 

“Looks good, hmm?” Maggie looked up to the balding man that stood taller than her as he brushed his scruffy, peppered gray mustache. “He probably lives on the east side of the city and travels every night. It’s enough to make a plan in case we do run into him again.”

 

“Again?”

 

The man nodded and smiled, though it quickly fell off his face. “Didn’t go great, but I think the encounter proved a point I was unsure of.”

 

Maggie turned back to the board and looked at the east side of the city, her eyes looking for the neighborhood Patton lived on. Did Prince Charging live near them? Had she passed him on the streets and never notice? Perhaps driven by his residence without knowing? “What did it prove?”

 

“They jumped and tasered him.” The man turned to Maggie and sneered. “It had _no effect_ , which definitely proves my theory about what I’ve been saying this whole time. He’s not normal, he’s not using a weapon. He _is_ one, and that makes him dangerous.”

 

“No effect at all?” Maggie stared at the map with a look of worry. “That means he definitely has powers! Oh, you were right! My poor boy lives on the east side, I do hope he’s okay.”

 

The man placed a hand on her shoulder, rubbing it comfortingly. “Don’t worry, we’ll make sure he is. We will make sure your boy is safe.”

 

That’s all a mother ever wants, all Maggie ever wanted. To make sure Patton would be _safe_. With this group, now she can make sure he will be.

 

“Thank you.”

 

\---

  


Logan was a patient man and on most days, he did enjoy his job at the bookstore. Today, however, was a day that felt doomed from the start. Patton told Logan not to worry about him, but seeing his boyfriend wrapped up and obviously in distress on the couch left him doing the opposite. He was trying his best to not walk off and make a personal call to check in on him and allowed Patton a bit of time to actually rest, trusting he would keep to his word.

 

He had hoped walking into work would be a nice distraction, but that was not the case. It was a headache and a half from the moment he walked in. Logan wished his job was simply sorting through books like he had hoped when he was hired, but days like today liked to test the limits of his patience.

 

“What do you mean you don’t sell it? When will you get more?”

 

Logan took in a deep breath through his nose. “Ma’am, as I have explained before, we do not sell e-readers here. You need to go to a bigger store, one run by a company.”

 

“I was told I could get one if I went to the bookstore!”

 

“As I have explained, not every bookstore sells them, you must-”

 

“I want a manager!” Logan watched the woman turn smug as she spoke. “Where is he? You obviously don’t know anything.”

 

He had a bit of a temper and he knew it, but he did not want to indulge himself in such bad habits. He was also the only one there, the owner has stepped out like they normally do, trusting Logan to take care of the place on his own.

 

“Ma’am, I am the only one here right now-”

 

“Then help me already!”

 

“Um, excuse me?” Logan turned toward the voice and found another customer holding a blank journal. “Could you ring me up?”

 

The woman Logan was being lectured by gasped and stomped her foot. “He’s a little busy at the moment!”

 

“I need this job,” whispering to himself, Logan rubbed at his eyes. “I need this job, I need this job, I need this job…”

 

Logan was thrilled things hadn’t escalated further. The woman had eventually gotten fed up, spat out a few nasty parting words, and left. Logan thanked the other customer who had been helpful in getting through to the woman in a manner Logan could not. After that, he was fairly sure he was alone in the bookstore by himself for a moment and decided to take advantage.

 

Most people walked by the bookstore; some would come in and browse and not purchase anything; others already knew exactly what they wanted. This left Logan with a lot of time to organize and clean and attempt to keep busy. However, for the past few days, one thing has been eating away at him and now that he was alone with his thoughts, he couldn’t think of anything else.

 

Patton had spelled it out for him; Thomas wasn’t improving when training with him because Thomas wasn’t understanding. Logan wasn’t explaining anything, he was too lost in his own wants and needs, he hadn’t realized he wasn’t helping Thomas at all. Logan had been pushing him to the point that Thomas wanted to stop and back away from everything for a while. Logan had the one thing he’d wanted for the past decade at his fingertips and he completely ruined it for himself.

 

Not to mention, his relationship with Thomas had been rather strange from the beginning. He had approached Logan first, explaining their powers and how they weren’t alone. Logan had been sure he would be given a nervous yet excited response, not the confusion and fear that had left Logan’s memories of the day wiped clean.

 

Though, that day did help him experience what his parents had gone through a bit, which helped him when he tried pulling Thomas’ memories back after wiping them clean. He still remembered it, vaguely. The adrenaline of that day made it a blur when he thought back to it. The blue glow that filled the room from Logan’s own eyes, desperate to accomplish anything. To fix the mistake he made a second time. To bring any trace of Thomas back to the surface.

 

Enough of that, Logan didn’t want to go down that route. That whole incident a few months back with that… creature… had left them all a bit traumatized and on end. And he didn’t even want to think about how how the experience had left Patton and Virgil feeling.

 

Logan pulled out his phone and stared at it for a few moments before pulling up Thomas’ number. Should he call or text? He had hardly any contact with him, virtually none outside of training his abilities. Would Thomas want to even talk to him? A text could be better, but what would Logan even say? He stared at the phone icon, then tapped it and held his phone to his ear before he could decide to back out.

 

As it rang, Logan felt his heart race and he inhaled deeply, trying to slow it down. He got Thomas’ voicemail, which he wasn’t too surprised by, before the eventual ‘beep’ telling him to leave a message.

 

“Thomas. This is Logan. I would just like to, ah…” Logan felt his mouth quickly run dry and was glad the bookstore was barren on the early weekday morning. “I want to apologize. After talking to Patton, I realize my behavior towards you has been… abhorrent.” Logan huffed out a small sigh and shook his head. “You do not have to call me back, just know that if you ever need practice with your abilities again, the others will be there for you. Thank you for your time.”

 

He quickly hung up and tossed his phone under a counter, his hands shaking a bit though he couldn’t figure out why. The whole situation left him rather uncomfortable and he suddenly felt the urge to sweep the entire store once more, just to keep moving. Was this what Patton felt like when he couldn’t stop cleaning? It was terrible, cleaning just for the sake of doing something to keep oneself distracted. Logan decided, as he also grabbed a duster, to think of something they could both do together to try and relax. They both certainly seemed to need it, and he had an idea already.

 

\---

 

“I’m booooored.” Patton had his blanket on the floor, spread out so he could lie on top of it. “I need something to dooooo.”

 

“Don’t look at me!” Patton looked up at Two and Three who stared at one another. Two was the one who spoke with Three looking over at him at a loss for ideas as well. “I don’t have any ideas!”

 

“Guys, just chill out! This is the best part about relaxing, you don’t have to do anything!” Patton rolled his head over and watched Four from the couch. Five sat next to him, both were just leaned back and sitting together. “Besides, nothing bad can happen to Three if we just don’t go outside.”

 

“Hey!” Three huffed and crossed his arms. “It’s not my fault bad stuff keeps happening to me!”

 

Five shifted on the couch and sat up a bit. “Of course it’s not! But I’m happy knowing you’re safe with all of us here.”

 

“That’s because you two are like best friends or something,” Four mumbled to himself, leaning over to rest against the armrest. “Still makes him the damsel in distress out of all of us.”

 

Three huffed and crossed his arms. “At least I’d look great in a dress!”

 

“Well, I would look better in one.” Seven walked out of the kitchen with a cup of tea for himself. “I mean, I am the pretty one.”

 

“That’s enough, Seven,” Patton called from his spot on the floor. “We’re all equally pretty. You don’t need to bring the others down to lift yourself up.”

 

Seven rolled his eyes and Patton looked around the room once more. Two and Three on the floor against the wall, Four and Five on the couch, Seven coming in from the kitchen… “Where’s Six?”

 

“Tadaaa~!” Six walked out from the hallway wearing one of Patton’s cardigans and one of Logan’s button down shirts underneath. “Well? How do I look?”

 

“Ohh, so cute!” Two chimed in, Three agreeing with him.

 

“Did you take that from Logan without asking?” Seven questioned, eyeing the shirt. “I mean, it looks nice, but shouldn’t we ask?”

 

“On it!” Patton pulled out his phone and started typing out a text message. “Oh! That gives me a great idea!”

 

All the Pals looked at one another and smiled as everyone got the same idea.

 

“Makeovers!”

 

When Virgil got home that evening, he opened the door to a mess. The coffee table was pushed to the side and cushions from the couch were placed in a line coming from Patton’s bedroom. Clothes were thrown everywhere and a few Pals were picking up the mess while one laid on the couch staring at the television.

 

“Virgil?” one of them called out. Soon, half a dozen more appeared, all looking at him and smiling. “Hey, guys, Virgil’s home!”

 

“What is this?” Virgil carefully walked across the living room floor, attempting to not step on anything. “You have fun?”

 

“We did makeovers and had a fashion show!” one of the Pals shouted excitedly, completely decked out in Logan’s clothes. A TARDIS shirt with a tie and formal pants that didn’t really seem to fit, but the Pal pulled it off, especially with his hair slicked back.

 

“I can see that. Looks like you had a nice day.”

 

“We did!” said another. Virgil’s head was almost spinning with all the Pattons around him. “It’s all thanks to you, Virgil!”

 

“Yeah, thanks, Virgil!”

 

“You’re the best!”

 

“Love ya, Virge!”

 

“Okay, okay!” Virgil laughed and held up his hands as he started to blush, the praise starting to overwhelm him. “You’re welcome, don’t thank me too much.”

 

“Nonsense.” A Patton walked up and wrapped Virgil in a hug. “I needed it, thank you.” Patton pulled back and smiled. “I think a lot has just been piling on and I hadn’t realized how much it was affecting me.”

 

“Of course, Pat. You’re my best friend, and I’m not one to talk. I was doing the exact same thing.”

 

The soft moment was broken as another Patton walked up. “Pat, move! We wanna give Virgil hugs and we can’t if you’re there!”

 

Apparently, the one Virgil was talking to was the original Patton, Virgil discovered, as the original laughed and backed away for his Pals to get in closer. “Okay, but be careful!”

 

“Yeah, don’t overwhelm him, we know! He’s _our_ best friend, too!”

 

“Oof, man. How did I suddenly get so many best friends?” Virgil joked as the Pal in front of him opened his arms, silently asking for a hug. “I’m gonna be all hugged out after this.”

 

\---

 

That evening was a flurry of activity in their apartment. Not wanting to overwhelm Virgil too much, the Pals immediately let him go to his room at the first sign of distress, for which he was grateful. He stated as much, earning a chorus of coos from the Pattons in the living room.

 

When Roman returned home, most of the mess had been cleared up. Roman had then quickly discovered the plethora of Pattons as the Pals were delighted to greet him. The Pals were quick to give their love to their roommate personally one by one. Roman adored the praise he got, hugging each and every Patton Pal and spinning them around. Most let out a laugh, though Five shrieked in surprise and Six complained a bit. Seven almost refused to let go before the others all shot him a look.

 

When Logan got home, it was to a bit of a surprise. Six was still dressed in his clothes and Logan couldn’t help but comment on how well he looked, which almost caused another fashion show of all of them wearing Logan’s clothes. Even Patton was excited about the idea, but Roman and Logan managed to get them to calm down.

 

They all said their parting words before walking over to Patton and disappearing in their own flash of light. Six was the last to go, having to change back into his own clothes first and winking at Logan, waving goodbye.

 

Suddenly being surrounded by six other versions of your boyfriend was a lot, and very, very distracting. Logan still had a plan set in mind, though.

 

While Roman had demanded he make a solo attempt at dinner, Logan gathered the courage to knock on Patton’s bedroom door. After waiting a brief moment, Patton called out for Logan to enter. Logan peered in and found Patton remaking his bed with the blanket he had forcefully removed from it that morning. He looked up at Logan and smiled before turning back and tugging at his blanket in an attempt to even it out. “Whatcha need, Lo?”

 

“Ah, well. I know in a few days, you will be off from work and I will be as well. I have checked the approaching weather forecasts and the weather should be agreeable. I was just curious if you so wish to accompany me to…” Logan trailed off as Patton slowly looked up and started smiling brightly at him, giving Logan his full attention. “To the, uh…” He quickly cleared his throat. “To the art center across town. They have food trucks and we can have lunch and it’s mostly outdoors with sculptures with some paintings on the inside.”

 

“Really? I haven’t been there! You like art?”

 

Logan shrugged and looked away, still pleading his heart to calm down now that he managed to get through asking Patton out. What was so hard about asking out someone you’re already dating? Though, his heart was more fluttery this time than it had been the first time Logan had asked. “I may not fully understand the paintings, but the structures are usually so elaborate and don’t seem like they would work, but they do, and once you know the math behind how they can balance and move in impossible ways, it’s fascinating! It’s one of my favorite places to go and it has a few gardens.” Logan looked up at Patton who seemed enamored at the idea already. “It reminds me a bit of that arboretum you took me to a few months back and now that the weather is nicer again, I wish to repay the favor by taking you to one of my favorite places.”

 

“That sounds so exciting, I’d love to! We can make a whole day out of it! I’m in, it’s a date!”

 

“Oh, good! I was unsure if you would approve, it is rather difficult coming up with new date ideas every time.”

 

As Logan let out a sigh of relief, Patton chuckled and walked around his now-freshly-made bed. “Lo, we don’t have to go do something for it to be a date! As long as we’re together and enjoying ourselves, that’s all that matters.” Patton reached for Logan’s hands and held them between the two of them. “I love spending time with you and getting to talk to you.”

 

“Ah. Well. Perhaps after dinner, when Virgil and Roman go out for the night, we can meet up in my room and, uh, hang out?”

 

Patton nodded excitedly. “Sounds like a plan! Come on, let’s see how the others are doing with dinner!”

 

Patton turned to walk off and kept one hand grasped in Logan’s to pull him along. However, when he tugged at Logan’s hand, the other did not move. Patton looked over his shoulder at Logan who stared down at their hands, a familiar look on his face. He was deep in thought, about what Patton wasn’t sure.

 

“Patton.” Logan followed their hands up Patton’s arm until their eyes met. “How was your day today? How are you really doing?”

 

Patton felt his smile feel heavy and slide into a frown, not attempting to look away from the other. There was nothing for him to hide, not from Logan. “I’m okay. I’m not better; I probably won’t be for a while,” Patton confessed. Logan looked back down at their joined hands as he spoke. “I probably haven’t been for a while…”

 

Logan held Patton’s hand tighter and looked back up looking far more determined this time. “I know, but I’ll be there for you. We can get through this together, okay?”

 

Patton smiled and nodded, squeezing back. “We both need a bit of work, but that’s okay, isn’t it? Because we have people there to help us when we really need it.”

 

Logan and Patton checked on how dinner preparation was going to find Roman doing fairly well by himself. Virgil was trying to help but every step of the way, Roman told him to relax. Virgil settled for setting the table while Logan kept Patton distracted so Virgil didn’t try to help his boyfriend too much.

 

Things went great as they all talked and laughed. Virgil shared his sympathies with Logan as they retold the stories of the day and Roman complained. He talked about all the boring paperwork and the messes he was still sorting through that had been left before he filled the position.

 

Patton retold his day starting from the text he sent Logan before they invaded his closet. Everything was put away exactly how it had been, but Patton and all the Pals had fun being silly like they used to do when they were younger before everything started to get complicated. Roman offered to help next time by letting them borrow his wardrobe and even doing their makeup a little. He had some stage makeup and costumes he could borrow from the theater and Roman could provide the lights like a light show with his powers and make a whole event of it.

 

Roman turned to Virgil as things died down, asking if they would still go out for the night. Rolling his eyes, Virgil nodded. Logan offered to do the dishes as thanks since Roman had cooked and Virgil took care of it that morning. Roman ran off to get changed and Virgil sat on the couch, waiting for him to emerge.

 

“Oh, Virgil! I had the most brilliant idea!” Virgil looked up from his phone to spot Roman, half dressed in his Prince Charging outfit, holding up an old hoodie of Virgil’s. “So, you left this in my room and I had a thought that I think you might like.”

 

“No,” Virgil turned back to his phone and kept scrolling.

 

“Wha- but you don’t even know what it is!”

 

“Doesn’t matter, I already don’t like it.”

 

“Aww, come ooooon, at least hear me out!” Virgil glanced up and watched as Roman pulled out his old mask from his previous outfit. “So, I was thinking, we could-”

 

“Not a chance.”

 

Roman approached the couch before dropping to his knees. “Just one night! You don’t have to follow me around on rooftops and we can spend some time actually together! If you don’t like it, you’ll never have to do it again!” Roman whined. Virgil tried keeping his attention on his phone and ignoring Roman as much as he could before he glanced up. He met the full brunt of Roman’s pleading eyes, begging for him to give in. Virgil groaned and rolled his eyes before reaching out and grabbing the mask away from Roman, ripping the hoodie from his hands as well. “Oh, yay!”

 

“Not a word, Princey.”

 

“Of course, my Dark Knight.”

 

Virgil groaned and went into his room while Roman gathered the last of his belongings and put on the remainder of his costume. He grabbed his backpack full of supplies and the burner phone he always took with him and waited impatiently on the couch.

 

When Virgil’s door opened, he stepped out and shoved his hands in his old worn, purple hoodie. His hair was messier and he had put on black eyeshadow around his eyes so they blended into the plain black mask Roman had used to wear before Virgil gave him a major upgrade.

 

There were a few more extra touches and Roman immediately knew Virgil must have stopped time and given himself some time to change things.The back of his old hoodie had a lightning bolt coming out of a cloud painted on it as well as a few minor adjustments. The hoodie looked the same besides a few minor tears had been repaired and Virgil had dug out an old dark gray scarf that was wrapped around his neck.

 

Virgil looked up at Roman before quickly glancing away. “Don’t laugh and let’s just go.”

 

“No, wait!” Virgil didn’t look up as Roman admired the minimalistic costume he had managed rather quickly. If he hadn’t just handed that hoodie back to Virgil, he would have assumed that he had this already made in case of an emergency… or for fun. Virgil did love superheroes and comic books, almost as much as he hated the idea of Roman being one. “You look great! Did you just throw this together? This is amazing.”

 

Virgil glanced up and smiled, pulling up his scarf to hide his blushing face. “I guess you could say… You’ve got me pulled in a new direction?”

 

Roman gasped dramatically as he smiled. “The Addams Family Musical!?”

 

“Shut up and let’s go.”

 

Virgil stopped time and reached over to pull Roman out with him. They left the apartment and headed downtown a bit. It became easier to start the nights like this to avoid anyone following them to or from their home. Once they agreed they were a fair distance away, they found a place to hide and start time once more.

 

Roman was immediately giddy and full of energy with Virgil there. He couldn’t wait to spend their time-saving people together! It was like a dream come true! Virgil, on the other hand, felt tense and anxious. He immediately texted Patton that they were out in case of an emergency, but he couldn’t help feeling like something just had to go wrong. Though, as Roman talked, Virgil did ease up a bit. They walked down the streets and a few people called out to Roman, shouting his hero name at him which earned them a wave and a smile back.

 

“Oh, you’re eating this up.”

 

“Quiet! It’s not every day I get to enjoy this, you know.” Roman playfully pushed Virgil before taking off a bit quicker down the street. “This way, I’m sure there’s something down here!”

 

Virgil jogged to catch up, not liking the idea of Roman running headfirst into danger any more than he did when he watched it from a safe distance away. Roman paused a few times before continuing on and eventually slowing down at a darker, less populated street. He pulled down his backpack and held it out for Virgil before walking down the street on high alert. His hands were tense as he made fists, small sparks threatening to shoot off in case something bad happened.

 

Eventually, Roman slowed down as he approached a stoop and saw someone sitting on the steps, their hands holding their head as it hung, their body shaking with silent sobs. Roman stood up taller, holding his hand out for Virgil to stop. “Hey, you alright?” The form didn’t acknowledge him and Roman turned around, waving silently for the backpack. Virgil handed it over, watching carefully as Roman dug out a water bottle and kneeled down. “Hey, here. Take this, it’ll help.”

 

The figure looked up and wiped his eyes before spotting the water bottle. He glanced up a bit more and gasped at the sight of Prince Charging smiling sadly as he offered it. “You! Y-you’re…”

 

With a smile and a nod, the Prince shook the water bottle and offered it once more. “You should stay hydrated.”

 

With a shaking hand, they reached out and grabbed the water bottle before hugging it close to their chest. “Thanks.” Their eyes flickered up to Virgil’s and widened before looking back at the prince. “What, uh… what are you doing here? And whose that?”

 

“Ahh, that’s my partner!” Virgil scoffed but smiled, appreciating not being called a sidekick. “And I go out and help those in need. You, my friend, look like someone in need.”

 

“It’s stupid, you should go do important things, like stopping muggers or something, right?” They looked unsure as they glanced down at the water bottle before opening it up. “This was great, thanks.”

 

Roman frowned and stood up before turning and sitting on the stairs next to the kid. “A simple water bottle isn’t helping you. That’s like putting a bandaid on a pothole.” They looked up at Prince and smirked for a minute before it fell once more. “What’s your name?”

 

“Uh, Jay.”

 

“Nice to meet you, Jay. Now, is there anything we can do to help?”

 

Jay looked up at Virgil before looking at the Prince once more. “Is he your boyfriend?” They both jumped and Jay immediately started to panic. “I mean, because there were rumors you had one and I was just curious because I never heard about you going out with someone before! I’m sorry. That wasn’t cool of me to ask.”

 

“Uh…” Roman shot Virgil a panicked look, unsure what to do. Virgil looked from Jay to Roman before shrugging and nodding back. “Yeah, actually, he is. Didn’t know my little stunt with the fan club made that so well known.”

 

“Oh, uh. That’s dope. Nah, it didn’t really. I’m just, you know. A fan, I guess.” Roman immediately lit up and Virgil sighed before slapping his hand against his face. “We talk after meetings and stuff and they mentioned you stopped by once before going on a date with some dude.”

 

“Yes, my dark knight here practically begged me to-” Roman saw the glare Virgil was sending him through his mask and grit his teeth. “Uh, begged me to stop asking myself, actually.” Roman felt his face heat up as Jay snickered and wiped away at his eyes. “I think he only gave in just to hear me stop nagging him.”

 

“Well, I mean…” They turned toward Virgil who ducked his head away at the attention. “True.”

 

Roman scoffed loudly and huffed after, causing Jay to chuckle a little. “Well, I never!”

 

“You have, now.” Virgil stuck his tongue out and crossed his arms over his chest as he smiled.

 

Roman turned back to Jay and watched as they seemed to loosen up a bit. “So, how can us two dashing heroes help you tonight?”

 

“Ah, it’s really nothing. Just a bunch of stress, I guess. It seems kind of stupid now that I think about it.” Jay smiled and wiped away their tears. “Just one small, stupid thing pushing me over the edge, but I feel so much better now that I let it out.”

 

“Good,” Virgil shifted the weight on his feet and shoved his hands into his hoodie. “There’s nothing wrong with crying. It’s just your body responding to a large amount of one emotion. That’s why people happy cry and stuff.”

 

Jay smiled the most they had all night and took a deep breath, fiddling with their water bottle. “That really helps to know, thanks.” They turned to Roman and pulled out their phone. “Yo, can I get a photo?”

 

“Absolutely!” Roman stood up and brushed his hair a bit before smiling at Virgil. “How do I look?”

 

“Like a dork,” Virgil responded.

 

Jay laughed and held up their phone. “Quick, I don’t have too much battery left.”

 

“Oh, here, let me.” Roman reached up and held the phone for them as it made an alert that it began to charge.

 

“Yo, man! You can charge phones? That’s _lit_ but so unfair!”

 

“You’re telling me!” Virgil called out. “I sometimes leave my phone on him when he naps.”

 

“Wha-hey! That’s so not cool! I am not your personal battery!”

 

“Yeah, you are.”

 

Jay nodded in agreement. “It’s the dating rules. You get his clothes, he gets to charge his phone on your unconscious, sleeping body.”

 

“Let’s just take the photo, I don’t know if I like you as much anymore!”

 

They joked around a bit more before Roman started getting antsy to move, eager for more adventures. He grabbed his backpack and they waved Jay goodnight before walking off into the night once more.

 

Virgil waited until Jay was out of earshot to speak. “You know, I never get to really see what you do when you stop and talk to people.” Virgil eyed the backpack that hung over Roman’s shoulder. “Is that why you carry that? You just pass out snacks and water and talk to random strangers?”

 

“Well, yeah. That’s what makes a good hero, right? To help those in need. Why would I ignore those in need of emotional support? Sure, I can’t be there for them all the time, but I can certainly be there for what time I can offer.”

 

Virgil walked just a step behind Roman so he could let him lead. If it was also convenient for Virgil to watch Roman subtly without his knowing, then so be it. Roman walked a bit differently in his costume and it was much more noticeable up close than it was watching from a distance. Roman stood taller, prouder, marching down the streets with a smile on his face. He was eager to jump into every situation, but it wasn’t because he was a glutton for danger. Up close, you could see Roman’s eyes through his mask as he looked at everyone he passed. Every person was assessed by Prince Charging before he made his way onward, truly looking for those who needed his help. While Virgil couldn’t write down how Roman’s powers worked on paper, it seemed Roman didn’t care much for the minute details. They worked for him and what he wanted and that’s all he needed. He wasn’t looking for any more answers because he was capable of helping others the way he was now. Unlike Logan who wanted to learn more about their abilities, Roman was simply content being who he was. Something about that behavior just seemed refreshing to Virgil. It made him ease up and relax a bit around Prince Charging as much as it did Roman, even though the Prince certainly would get into more danger in comparison.

 

Virgil tugged at the hood of his sweater to make sure it was still up and adjusted his scarf. His makeshift outfit was warm and he could feel himself overheating a little bit. It definitely didn’t have anything to do with him trailing behind Prince Charging, watching him and thinking about how truly kind he was and just how lucky Virgil was to have him. To think that just a year ago, they were at each other’s throats. They had met and immediately didn’t get along, a far cry to what they were now. Though, the bickering just took a softer tone.

 

The night was fairly calm despite the fact Virgil was on edge just waiting for something to go wrong. Some people called out to the Prince, some took photos, but the tension eased up as time went. Roman didn’t stop any big crimes, mostly just by appearing made people scatter. They ventured farther out than they normally did as they talked, a bit distracted, but the rest of the night was pretty dull. Virgil had to admit, being with Princey instead of at a distance was much more enjoyable, but perhaps he was a bit biased. It was almost like a silly date as they wore masks and took a stroll through the streets.

 

Eventually, the night grew into early morning as the sky started to shift brighter with the inevitable rising sun. Virgil let out a big yawn, which in turn caused Roman to yawn. Sunrise was in a short few hours, but Virgil always slept in stopped time if Roman was with him. He hardly ever napped in stopped time by himself anymore unless Roman joined him. It wasn’t every night, sometimes he still feared what could happen while he was asleep with everything frozen, but having Roman definitely helped ease his anxieties.

 

“I think we should call it, Princey,” Virgil said, watching Roman blink rapidly as he tried to keep his eyes open. “It’s late and we need to get to bed. Besides, you’re too tired to actually fight like this.”

 

“Pish posh, I could if I had to.” Roman yawned once more and covered it with the back of his hand. “Perhaps you are right, we should head back. This prince is royally exhausted.”

 

“Mmm, I’m up for napping in stopped time if you are.”

 

“Ohh!” Roman perked up immediately. “Can we make a fort in the living room? That would be wonderful!”

 

“Sure, I’ll go set it up. You stay here so I can just grab you, okay? It’ll just be a few, I’m definitely washing this crud off my face before I pass out.” Virgil pulled up a map on his phone to check their current location so he knew where to return to pick Roman up before shutting his eyes.

 

Virgil disappeared in the blink of an eye to Roman as he reappeared back in their apartment. Time would have to be unfrozen to be able to wash his face, so a quiet moment of concentration, a shift and a stumble later, and Virgil had time moving once more. He quietly walked to the bathroom to wash off the eye makeup and swipe all the blankets and pillows from both of their beds. He dragged them all out into the living room and moved the coffee table out of the way. After he made a bit more room,  Virgil threw down everything in somewhat of a pile. Satisfied it would be enough for now, since Roman will just change everything to his liking the second they got back anyway, Virgil tossed on the mask for good measure and closed his eyes, thinking back to where he had left Roman.

 

He blinked and looked around before looking down at his phone. Roughly ten minutes had passed and he was in the exact location he had left, but there was nothing around him and certainly no sign of Roman. The street looked as barren as it did when he left, the street lamps dimly lighting the road. “Princey, where the hell did you go?” Virgil grumbled to himself as he walked around. Virgil checked the nearby street before deciding that starting time and calling out to him would probably be faster than aimlessly searching for his prince.

 

The familiar dizzy feeling of time starting back up passed quickly before Virgil cupped his hands over his mouth. “Princey, time to go!” He waited a moment and spun around before doing it again. “Come on, Princey! I’m not waiting for you forever!”

 

The cries of cars passing in the distance and wind between buildings was all that responded to Virgil’s calls. His voice echoed a bit off of the buildings, but Virgil wasn’t trying to scream too loud. It was still the middle of the night, after all. It remained quiet, which had been soothing earlier with Roman. With the prince missing, however, a pit of worry started to grow inside Virgil’s chest. He immediately dug for his phone and unlocked it while trying to steady his heart. Virgil was trying not to jump to conclusions too soon. “Last time you disappeared when I told you to wait, you got tasered. I swear to God, Princey…” Virgil tapped on the contact number for the burner phone they kept in the backpack and put it to his ear as he began to pace down the street where he had left Roman once more. He paused as he heard a faint noise and pulled his phone away from his ear while looking around. He started to walk toward the noise, the _ringing…_ Virgil started to run.

 

A painfully familiar plain backpack was tossed on the side of the road where the noise was originating from and Virgil ripped it open before pulling out the phone that was ringing inside. “Are you fucking _kidding_ me?!” He stood up and spun around once more. “PRINCEY!”

 

His voice echoed down the streets as his heart began pounding in his chest. “No, no no no no no!” Virgil shut his eyes and stumbled forward almost effortlessly catching himself as he stopped time once again. “I swear Roman, I’m going to kill you when I get my hands on you!” He started sprinting down the streets, looking at everything as he raced by. Time was stopped, but he still felt like he needed to act quickly before something dreadful happened. Or, perhaps, before something else dreadful happened.

 

“Roman! Damnit, Roman!” Virgil started panting as he shouted, knowing that calling out would not be helpful in the slightest. No one else could hear him, but Virgil felt better in at least making the attempt. “ROMAN! THIS BETTER BE SOME KIND OF JOKE! I’M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS, YOU HEAR ME?! I-”

 

Virgil stumbled and stopped, his arms flailing at his sides as he regained his balance. He had spotted a speck of white and red in his peripheral vision and had hoped, prayed it was Roman. Turning, Virgil’s breath caught in his throat for a moment at the sight before him, his heart pounding so hard he thought it would give out on him right there.

 

Roman seemed fine at first glance, except for the fact that he had a red mark across his cheek like someone had gotten a good punch in. Oh, and he was _unconscious_.

 

And he was being lifted and stuffed into some unmarked van by a group of people in black ski masks.

 

So, apparently, he was being kidnapped as well.

 

Great. Fantastic.

  
Virgil was going to kill him if they didn’t get the chance to first… _after_ he panicked.


End file.
